The Chief of Army Staff Indian Army, General MM Naravane was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by Rt Hon. Smt. Bidya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal, on 5th November 2020. 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 ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Nepal Rt. Hon Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli, Indian Ambassador Mr. Vinay M. Kwatra and other senior officials of both the countries.
The practice follows a seven decade old tradition of conferring 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. In January last year, Chief of Nepali Army, General Purna Chandra Thapa, was also made the honorary General of the Indian Army by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi.
Following the ceremony, General MM Naravane called on the President of Nepal Rt. Hon. Mrs. Bidya Devi Bhandari. He was accompanied by Ambassador Vinay M. Kwatra. During the meeting with Hon’ble President, General Naravane conveyed his gratitude for the honour bestowed upon him and also discussed measures to further enhance bilateral cooperation.
