The Young Communist League, a branch of the country's powerful former rebels, also vowed to pile pressure on the Himalayan nation's government to bring about an end to the nearly two century-old practice.

"It drains the country of capable young people," Ganesh Man Pun, the head of the Young Communist League told AFP at the end of a three-day high-level policy meeting.

"Recruiting Nepali youths into the Gurkhas should be stopped as soon as possible," he said.

Famed for their loyalty, discipline and courage in battle -- as well as their sharp knives -- Nepali Gurkhas have been taken into the British Army since 1817.

Competition is fierce, with more than 15,000 people tried out for 230 places last year alone.

The British Army currently has around 3,400 Gurkhas serving in countries including Iraq and Afghanistan, while the Indian Army also has some 40,000 in its ranks.

Tens of thousands of family members are also dependent on Gurkha salaries and pensions, or the income of Gurkhas who go on to work in the booming private security sector -- for sums of money that would be otherwise unobtainable in the largely agricultural, impoverished country.

The Maoists, however, said prospective Gurkha fighters should instead be given opportunities at home.