Indian Army Chief General Naravane Conferred Honorary Rank of Army General Nepal

On Thursday, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane, who is on a three-day visit to Nepal, was conferred with an honorary rank of Nepal Army General by the Nepalese President, Smt. Bidya Devi Bhandari in Kathmandu. During the special ceremony, General Naravane was presented with an insignia, a sword and certificate of conferment order by the President, according to an official statement. The statement further mentions, “This long-held tradition is emblematic of the close ties between the national armies of Nepal and India”.

This tradition has been going on since 1950 between the two neighboring nations, with General K M Cariappa being the first Indian army chief to receive this honor. Last year, in New Delhi, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind had conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army to the Nepalese General Army Chief, Gen Purna Chandra Thapa.

Earlier in the day, General Naravane met his counterpart and discussed steps to further improve the existing ties between the two armies. With President Bhandari, General Naravane spoke about enhancing the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, which received a setback over the bitter border dispute, earlier in the year.