Nepal’s President Bhandari confers honorary title to Indian Army chief Gen. Manoj Pande
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari conferred the title of Honorary General of the Nepali Army to Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande at a special ceremony here on Monday, continuing the seven-decade-old tradition reflecting the close ties between the two countries.
Gen. Pande was also presented a sword and scroll during the ceremony held at the President’s official residence Shital Niwas’ in Kathmandu.
“The practice follows a seven-decade-old tradition of decorating army chiefs of each other’s country with the honorary title. Commander-in-Chief General KM Cariappa was the first Indian Army chief to be decorated with the title in 1950, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement.
In November last year, Chief of Nepali Army, General Prabhu Ram Sharma was also made the Honorary General of the Indian Army by ex-President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi.
Following the ceremony, Gen Pande called on the President of Nepal and conveyed his gratitude for the honour bestowed upon him.
Earlier, in a solemn ceremony, Gen Pande laid a wreath and paid homage at Bir Smarak (Martyr’s Memorial) at Army Pavilion in Tundikhel, Kathmandu. Thereafter, he visited the Nepali Army headquarters where he was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour.
General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff, Indian Army handed over various non-lethal military items to General Prabhu Ram Sharma, Chief of the Army Staff, Nepali Army, the Nepal Army said in a tweet.
This was followed by meeting with his Nepali counterpart General Sharma, during which both delegations discussed strengthening longstanding army-army relations. He was also given a comprehensive briefing by senior officers of the Nepali Army, the Indian embassy said in a statement.
On behalf of the Government of India, Gen Manoj Pande presented training equipment to Nepali Army along with Light Vehicles which would augment capabilities of Nepali Army personnel.
General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff, presented equipment along with light vehicles to the Nepali Army for augmenting their technical capabilities, Indian embassy in Nepal said in a tweet.
The total amount of assistance is equivalent to NRs. 223.8 million (USD 1.7 million). This is a special subsidy provided by the Indian Army, which includes 60 per cent grant assistance, said Nepali Army sources.
Gen. Pande arrived here on Sunday on a five-day official visit during which he will hold extensive talks with the country’s top civil and military leadership and bolster defence ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Gen Pande, who took charge as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff on April 30 after Gen MM Naravane retired from service, will call on Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday, apart from meeting with the senior military and civilian leaders of the Himalayan nation.
The issue of induction of Gorkhas from Nepal into the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme is also likely to figure in Gen Pande’s talks in Kathmandu, which reportedly conveyed to New Delhi that the recruitment under the new scheme does not conform to existing provisions for it.
Gen Pande will leave Kathmandu for New Delhi on September 8.
The Nepali Army believes the exchange of such high-level visits and continuation of tradition helps in strengthening relations between the two militaries and the two countries,” said a press release issued by Nepal Army on Sunday.
Archana Pande, the chairperson of the Army Wives Welfare Association of the Indian army, is accompanying Gen Pande. Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old “Roti Beti” relationship. The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. (PTI)
