Indian Army chief conferred with honorary rank of General of Nepal Army

Kathmandu, Sep 5 (IANS) The Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, General Manoj Pande, was conferred with the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by Bidya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal, on Monday.

Pandey arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday on a five-day official visit to Nepal.

He was honoured at a special ceremony at the President's official residence, 'Shital Niwas', in Kathmandu.

He was also presented with a sword and scroll during the function. The ceremony was attended by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, and other senior officials of both the countries.

The practice follows a seven-decade tradition of conferring army chiefs of each other's country with the honorary title. Commander-in-Chief, General K.M. Cariappa, was the first Indian Army Chief to be decorated with the title in 1950.

In November last year, Chief of Nepali Army, General Prabhu Ram Sharma, was also made the honorary General of the Indian Army by then President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in Delhi.

Following the ceremony, General Pande called on President Bhandari.

He was accompanied by Ambassador Srivastava. During the meeting with the President, General Pande conveyed his gratitude for the honour bestowed upon him and also discussed measures to further enhance bilateral cooperation, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

Later in the evening, Pandey will visit Pashupatinath Temple and worship there. On Tuesday, he will go for a mountain flight and will visit one staff college of Nepal Army near Kathmandu. Later in the afternoon, Pandey will call on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also the Defence Minister. On Wednesday, the visiting Indian delegation will visit Jomsom where a revered Hindu temple is located in Muktinath.

Earlier on Monday, General Pande after having delegation level talks with his Nepali counterpart General Sharma, handed over non-lethal equipment to Nepal Army during a function organised at Nepal Army headquarters.

General Pande presented equipment along with light vehicles to the Nepali Army for augmenting their technical capabilities, said the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

Ahead of handing over 10 mines protective vehicles, four horses, simulators, medical equipment and maintenance spares parts, Pande held delegation level talks with his Nepali counterpart, Ram Sharma.