Technical issues finalised

The technical issues of integration process of former Maoist combatants has been finalised by the Special Committee to be implemented on Saturday. The Special Committee had endorsed the proposal prepared by the task force of the Special Committee paving way to kick-start the integration process after the Nepal Army took charge of the cantonments last week.

According to the agreement, a general directorate will be set up in accordance with the seven-point agreement signed on 1 November last year. The new directorate will have four departments: infrastructure development, industrial security, forest and environment security and disaster management.

UML leader Bhim Rawal said that 65 per cent of the strength of the general directorate will be filled from existing security agencies and 35 per cent from the combatants. He said 30 per cent will be deployed in the directorate for national development, 20 per cent in the directorate for industrial security, 30 per cent in the forest and environment security directorate and 20 per cent in the disaster management directorate.

The parties have reached an informal understanding to appoint a lieutenant general to lead the general directorate and appoint a brigadier general to head each of the directorates.

The SC has also decided that combatants will get wavier on age by three years, education by one level for the ranks that will be considered based on the date of their enrolment in the PLA.

Those selected in officer and junior ranks will be given a compulsory three months of rank specific bridging course and a nine-month basic training to officer and seven-month to the juniors. The NA provides a 24-month training for officers and nine-month basic training for the juniors.

Similarly, the board to select combatants for officer ranks will be headed by Public Service Commission (PSC) chairperson or a member designated by him. It will also include a special class officer of the military service, first class officer of the Defence Ministry, three experts appointed by the Army chief and a first class officer of the Army as the member-secretary. The board for lower ranks will be headed by a second-class officer.

A maximum of 6,500 combatants will be integrated in the Nepal Army. However, given the initial reports of ongoing regrouping in different cantonments suggest the number might be much less. About 3000 ex-combatants have opted for voluntary retirement so far. Around 9,700 combatants had opted for integration in the last regrouping in January.