• India and Nepal began a 15-day military exercise — Surya Kiran — in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh on September 20 with a focus on counter-terror drills and disaster relief operations.

• The aim of the 15th edition of Surya Kiran is to boost overall interoperability between the two militaries.

• The Indian side in the joint exercise is being represented by the 6th Garhwal Regiment, while the Nepalese side is being represented by the Ripu Daman battalion.

• During the exercise, an Infantry Battalion each from the Indian Army and the Nepali Army will be training together to develop inter-operability and share their experience of counter-terrorism operations and disaster relief operations.

• The exercise will continue till October 3.

India-Nepal defence cooperation

• India and Nepal have wide-ranging cooperation in the defence sector. India has been assisting the Nepal Army (NA) in its modernisation by supplying equipment and providing training. 

• Assistance during disasters, joint military exercises, adventure activities and bilateral visits are other aspects of India’s defence cooperation with Nepal. 

• A number of defence personnel from Nepal Army attend training courses in various Indian Army training institutions. 

• The ‘Indo-Nepal Battalion-level Joint Military Exercise SURYA KIRAN’ is conducted alternately in India and in Nepal. 

• Since 1950, India and Nepal have been awarding each other’s Army Chief with the honorary rank of General in recognition of the mutual harmonious relationship between the two armies.

• The Gorkha regiments of the Indian Army are raised partly by recruitment from hill districts of Nepal. Currently, about 32,000 Gorkha Soldiers from Nepal are serving in the Indian Army.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store