Manoj Mukund Naravane conferred with Nepal Army General's title

KATHMANDU: The Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, was conferred with the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army by President Bidya Devi Bhandari, here on Thursday.

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

He was also presented with a sword and a scroll during the function, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Nepal, K.P. Sharma Oli, Indian Ambassador Vinay M. Kwatra and other senior officials of both the countries.

Nepal and India have a historic seven-decade-old tradition of conferring the honorary title to each other's Army chief since 1950. He is the 18th Indian Army Chief to be conferred with the title. Commander-in-Chief General K.M. Cariappa was the first Indian Army Chief to be decorated with the title in 1950. In January last year, Chief of Nepali Army, General Purna Chandra Thapa, was also made the honorary General of the Indian Army by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi.

Following the ceremony, General Naravane called on President Bhandari, accompanied by Ambassador Kwatra. During the meeting with the President, Naravane conveyed his gratitude for the honour bestowed upon him and also discussed measures to further enhance bilateral cooperation between India and Nepal.

Earlier in the day, after delegation-level talks with General Purna Chandra Thapa, the Chief of the Army Staff of Nepal Army, Naravane on the behalf of the Government of India, presented medical equipment to two field hospitals of the Nepal Army, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

The equipment include X-Ray machines, computed radiography systems, ICU ventilators, video endoscopy units, anesthesia machines, laboratory equipment and ambulances.

Additional ventilators were also gifted to assist the Nepal Army in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, General Thapa had gifted 100,000 'Made in Nepal' face masks to Naravane, besides other souviners. This follows an earlier Army-to-Army provision of ventilators in July this year.

In a solemn ceremony earlier in the day, he laid a wreath on the 'Veer Smarak' at the Army Pavilion in Tundikhel, Kathmandu.

After this, he visited the Nepali Army Headquarters where he was accorded with a ceremonial Guard of Honour.

Naravane also held a meeting with his Nepali counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa, during which the two sides discussed Army-to-Army relations and enhancing bilateral defence cooperation.

He was also given a comprehensive briefing by senior officers of the Nepali Army.

The Indian Army Chief arrived here on Wednesday on a three-day visit to Nepal at the formal invitation of General Thapa.

The Indian Army chief landed in Kathmandu on Wednesday for a three-day official visit to Nepal, on the invitation of General Thapa.

He was received at the airport by Lieutenant General Prabhu Ram Sharma, CGS Nepali Army and officials of the Indian Embassy.

The ties between the two countries came under strain recently after China increased its influence on Nepal. India's road construction to the Lipulekh area at 17,000 feet sparked a diplomatic row between India and Nepal as Kathmandu claimed the area to be its territory. The road was constructed to shorten the travel time for pilgrims visiting the Kailash Mansarovar.

Lipulekh is a tri-junction between India, Nepal and China situated atop the Kalapani Valley in Uttarakhand.

After this, Nepal brought out a new political map showing the contested area as its own.

India has rejected this new map of Nepal saying it is not based on historical facts or evidence. (IANS)

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