Kathmandu, Aug 29 (IANS): The Nepali Army has taken action against seven of its officers after they failed to lose weight, a media report said.

Among the seven, the Army denied three of them promotion and four were not allowed to take part in UN missions as their body mass index was too high, The Himalayan Times quoted Bigyan Dev Pandey, spokesperson for the Nepali Army, as saying on Thursday.

Army officers have to undergo regular physical fitness tests, which includes waist circumference, waist-hip ratio and relative fat mass. the average Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated on the basis of these.

The Nepal Army has categorised weight into four groups - obese, overweight, normal and underweight.

Three months to three years is given to maintain body weight. One year is given to new mothers.

If they fail to maintain body weight within the stipulated time they are penalised. If the medical board says personnel are unfit they will be dismissed, Pandey said.

Obese and overweight officers cannot be part of missions abroad, he added.

The Nepali Army formulated health procedure for its staffers on February 15, 2018.