President Paudel confers Honorary General of Nepal Army to Indian Army chief

Nepal’s president Rramchandra Paudel conferred the Honorary Rank of the General of Nepal Army to Indian Army Chief Gen. Upendra Dwivedi at a special ceremony at Rastrapati Bhawan, Sheetal Niwas, here on Thursday afternoon.

There has been a tradition of conferring the title of Honorary General to each other’s army chief of Nepal and India as per the continued relations existing between the armies of the two countries since 1950, according to Nepal Army sources.

Gen Dwivedi, who is leading a five-member delegation, arrived here on Wednesday for a five-day official visit at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Gen Ashok Sigdel.

Gen. Dwivedi on the same day met Sigdel at Nepal Army Headquarters in Kathmandu and discussed matters relating to the collaboration between the two armies.

“The two discussed furthering military bilateral relations between Nepal and India,” according to Indian Embassy sources.

In a gesture of everlasting friendship between the two armies, Gen. Dwivedi also planted a Rudraksha sapling on the premises of Nepal Army headquarters in Kathmandu, the Indian Embassy said.

Earlier in the morning, Gen. Dwivedi paid homage to the martyrs by laying a wreath at the Martyr’s Memorial in the Army Pavilion, Tundikhel. He also received the Guard of Honour at the Army Headquarters.

During his visit, Gen Dwivedi is scheduled to visit Army Staff College in Shivapuri, located on the outskirts of Kathmandu. He also plans to have a mountain flight, officials said.

There has been a long tradition of exchange of visits by the army chiefs of Nepal and India and to confer the title of honorary General to both the army chiefs.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Gen Dwivedi is accompanied by his spouse Sunita Dwivedi, chairperson of the Army Wives Welfare Association of the Indian Army.