Indian Army chief in Nepal to receive top honours

Kathmandu, Dec 20 (PTI) Indian Army chief General
V K Singh arrived here on Monday on a four-day official visit
to Nepal where he will be decorated with the honorary rank of
General of the Nepal Army, signifying the close relationship
between the two militaries.
General Singh will be conferred the honorary rank of
General of the Nepal Army on December 22 by President Ram
Baran Yadav, who is the Supreme Commander of the country's
armed forces.
General Singh will call on the President, Prime
Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Defence Minister Vidya Bhandari
and Nepal Army chief Chhatra Man Singh Gurung during his stay
in the capital.
He will visit Pokhara, a tourist hub in western Nepal,
tomorrow to inspect pension camps and meet Indian Army
veterans.
"This is a routine visit of the Indian Army chief to
Nepal," an Indian embassy spokesperson said.
Efforts to deepen bilateral military cooperation will
feature during his talks with his Nepalese counterpart,
according to sources.
This is the second visit of an incumbent Indian army
chief in a year to receive the honorary title. General Deepak
Kapoor, the then Indian Army chief was also decorated with the
honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army in January.
Upholding a six-decade old tradition, General Gurung
was conferred with the honorary title of Chief of the Indian
Army by President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on December 14,
2009.
The tradition of exchange of high-level goodwill
visits between the two armies began in 1950 with the visit of
former Indian army chief Gen. K M Cariappa.