Gen.Upendra Dwivedi Conferred with the Nepali Army’s General rank

The Indian Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi, was conferred with the honourary rank of the General of the Nepali Army on 21 November 2024. India and Nepal have a long tradition of honouring each other's country's chief of the army with this rank.

General Upendra Dwivedi is on an official visit to Nepal from 20 to 24 November 2024 at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart, General Ashok Raj Sigdel.

Nepali President Conferred the honorary rank to General Dwivedi.

General Upendra Dwivedi was conferred the rank of honourary General of the Nepali Army by the President of Nepal, Ramchandra Paudel, at a special ceremony at the President's House in Kathmandu on 21 November 2024.

The Nepali President is the commander in chief of the Nepali Armed Forces.

Highlights of the General Upendra Dwivedi Visit 

It was General Upendra Dwivedi's first official visit to Nepal after being appointed the 30th Chief of the Indian Army.

His five-member delegation includes his wife, Sunita Dwivedi. The Army Chief's wife has always been the Chairperson of the Army Wives Welfare Association of the Indian Army.

He held talks with Nepal’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashok Raj Sigdel, at the Nepali Army headquarters in Kathmandu.

General Upendra Dwivedi gifted military horses and dogs to General Ashok Raj Sigdel. 

He also planted a Rudraksha sapling on the premises of the Nepali Army headquarters. 

India Nepal Military Ties 

The East India Company recruited Nepal’s Gurkha into its army and used them in its various campaigns. 

Even after the power transfer from the East India Company to the British Crown in 1858, the tradition of recruiting the Gurkhas continued under British India rule.

This tradition was continued after India's independence in 1947. A tripartite agreement was signed between India, the British government, and the Nepali government in 1947. 

The agreement split the Gurkha regiment serving in British India into the Indian Army and the British Army.

The recruitment of Nepali citizens in the Indian Army continued after independence.

After the introduction of the Agniveer scheme in the Indian Army, Nepal stopped the recruitment of Nepali citizens in the Indian Army.

There are around 88,000 retired Indian Army personnel living in Nepal.

Despite the ban on recruiting Nepalis for the Indian Army, both armies have continued joint training.

The Indian Army continues to provide training to Nepalese Army personnel and also sends its personnel to undergo training in Nepal.

Both the countries conduct a joint military exercise code-named Surya Kiran. Nepal will host the 18th edition of the Surya Kiran in Nepal in December 2024.