On his first visit to Nepal, General Manoj Pande conferred title of Honorary General of Nepali Army

Kathmandu, Sept 6: Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Pande began his first Nepal visit by calling on Nepal's Chief of the Army Staff General Prabhu Ram Sharma at Army Headquarters in Kathmandu on Monday (Sept 5). During the meet, Army Chief General Pande handed over various non-lethal military equipment to his Nepalese counterpart.

 

 

 

 

Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande is in Nepal to enhance existing bilateral defence ties and strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The ongoing visit is General Pande's first visit to Nepal as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). On the occasion, the Army Chief handed over various non-lethal military equipment to Nepal's Chief of the Army Staff General Prabhu Ram Sharma.

 

 

During the visit, General Manoj Pande was conferred the title of Honorary General of the Nepali Army by Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari in Kathmandu on Monday (Sept 5). General Pande was honoured with the title at a special ceremony at the President's official residence 'Shital Niwas' in the capital city of Nepal. The practice follows a seven-decade-old tradition of decorating army chiefs of each other's country with the honorary title, between the two neighbouring countries.

 

 

 

 

 

"The Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army General Manoj Pande was conferred the title of Honorary General of the Nepali Army by Rt Hon. Smt. Bidya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal, on 5 September 2022. He was honoured at a special ceremony at the President's official residence 'Shital Niwas' in Kathmandu. He was also presented a sword and scroll during the function," the Indian embassy said in a statement.

 

 

Commander-in-Chief General KM Cariappa was the first Indian Army chief to be decorated with the title in 1950. In Nov 2021, General Prabhu Ram Sharma was also made the Honorary General of the Indian Army by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi. During his pngoing visit, the Army Chief is also scheduled to meet Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba apart from meeting with the country's senior military and civilian leadership where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-Nepal defence relations.