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By Pushpa Raj Pradhan

There is a debate among the scholars and academicians that the nation should not do business. Considering the geographical location and economic situation of the country, the government should do business and run industries as well.

Considering the escalation of rivalry between our two immediate giant neighbours and also the global scenario, Nepal must empower its security to protect the sovereignty and independence of the nation. The present number in the Armed Police Force and the Nepal Army must be increased at least by five folds along with empowering them with sophisticated arms. It doesn’t mean that Nepal should prepare for war but a sovereign nation should remain strong with its defensive force.

There are the questions raised by some so-called scholars that Nepal doesn’t need the army as we are not capable to fight. They are even lobbying and advocating for scrapping the army force saying that it is just a financial burden for the nation, which, this scribe doesn’t believe.

The Nepal Army is the only disciplined force, which has made proud the nation by establishing the fame of highly honest and dutiful force in the UN Peace Keeping Missions abroad.

Domestically, talking about the army’s role during the natural calamity is highly commendable.

Accordingly, the government has often given the responsibility for constructing different roads mostly in difficult areas. The Army has accepted such a challengeable task and completed the projects on time.

As Nepal falls in the red zone for natural calamity, always, a force should remain ready for rescue and relief operation. The force is the Nepal Army. Likewise, the nation needs a huge financial investment and human resources for infrastructural development.

We cannot discard the possibility of war and we cannot avoid war if our national sovereignty and independence are challenged.

The nation cannot remain as a silent spectator in case of natural calamity. But the fact is that we have very limited resources to invest in security forces and arms.

Therefore, Nepal like country should develop the security forces having multiple goals. The idea could be utilizing the Nepal Army in labour-intensive infrastructural development projects and productive sector during the peaceful period contributing to the economic development of the nation.

Currently, the Nepal Army is engaged in the construction of the Kathmandu-Nijgadh fast track, a project of national pride. We expect, the Army will complete the task timely. Just recently, the Army completed construction of a track in Kalapani area in Darchula district. Kaligandaki corridor road project is also underway, among others. If the government will increase the number of Army personnel from the present total strength of 95 thousand, it can assign more projects to the Nepal Army along with providing employment opportunity to the Nepali youths within the country. While doing so, the government can stop youths from going abroad for dirty and risky jobs.

The Army Welfare Fund:

At a time when we are reading the report that the Nepal Police Welfare Fund established through the contribution of the police personnel has been misused, in the meantime, the Welfare Fund under the Nepal Army is doing a commendable job.

The Nepal Army Welfare Fund has been able to generate above 50 billion rupees as of now as its blood money. The Fund is being invested in different sectors. The profit gained by Fund is spent for providing different kinds of facilities to both the Nepal Army personnel in the job and that retired personnel and their families. According to a document published by the Nepal Army, 97 thousand Nepal Army personnel in service at present and 75 thousand retired army personnel, along with around eight hundred thousand dependents are being benefited from different projects launched by the Welfare Fund.

Every year the Fund spends 900 million rupees in the core health sector and 900 million rupees in the core education sector providing free health and education facilities to those serving and retired army personnel and their dependents.

The Fund is running different income-generating projects such as running medical colleges and schools. To note, the Welfare Fund run medical college in Kathmandu is known to be a prestigious college compared to other medical colleges in the country. Medical students produced by the Welfare Fund run medical college have never been failed in the Medical Board examination.

The Fund is also engaged in running different skill development training project and providing service and facilities to the NA personnel and retired personnel and their families.

Due to the limited area given by the government, the Welfare Fund is compelled to keep the blood money at the fixed deposit account in different “A” class commercial banks. The interest earned through such fixed deposit is very nominal. If the government will develop some schemes allowing the NA Welfare Fund for running different industries and even constructing hydropower project with the investment of the Welfare Fund, surely, the Fund could contribute a lot in the industrialization process of the country, in the meantime, it could increase the facilities of the NA personnel both in the job and retired one. In fact, this is the duty of the government, however, the NA itself is capable to increase the facilities if the government allows an opportunity for direct investment and operation of industries to the Welfare Fund.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised by different quarters that the NA should not do business, rather focus on professionalism. The confusion is that although the Welfare Fund is entirely run by retired army personnel and it is a non-profit welfare unit as the profit earned by the Fund will be spent on the welfare of the retired army personnel, in general, it is believed that the Nepal Army is doing business, which is wrong. Better, the government should think about providing job opportunity to the army personnel and their family members even after their retirement. Understandably, in neighbouring countries India, Bangladesh, Pakistan also many profit-earning projects including industries are being run by the welfare fund under the Army. Even in the USA, the Army is running different profit-generating projects for the welfare of the Army personnel. Why not the government follow the same policy that has been practiced by the army in the SAARC nations in empowering the NA Welfare Fund?

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