GURKHA soldiers will be rewarded with a bumper new pension deal, it was yesterday announced.
Armed Forces Minister Mark Lancaster confirmed a new support package for 22,000 Gurkha veterans and their families.
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Under the new deal, they will get a £15m increase in the Gurkha Pension Scheme.
And some veterans could receive increases of up to 34 per cent extra in their pensions – depending on service – with the increases being backdated to 1 January 2016.
Alongside the upped pensions, the MoD also announced a new £25m injection over the next decade for medical support for veterans living in Nepal.
Minister for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster, said: “This pension increase for Gurkha veterans, alongside long-term funding for healthcare support in Nepal, will make a difference to the lives of Gurkha veterans and their families.
“I have huge respect for the Gurkhas, who have been important to the British military for more than 200 years, and I hope will be for many years to come.
“These are significant sums which reflect the outcome of dialogue with Gurkha veterans and the Government of Nepal.”
This new investment will be delivered in partnership with the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
The announcement comes after Lancaster recently visited Nepal, where he met with the President Bidya Devi Bhandari, to present the annual report of the Brigade of Gurkhas.
