Article Posted on : - Dec 15, 2009

President Pratibha Patil confers Honorary Rank of General of the India Army on Nepalese Army chief Gen Chhatra Man Singh Gurung at Special Defence Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday evening. Image Credit: PTI

NEW DELHI (PTI): Nepalese Army Chief General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung, an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army.

President Pratibha Patil conferred the rank to Gen Gurung at a ceremony here on Monday by presenting a sword and a peak cap along with a conferment order.

Defence Minister A K Antony, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik and Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar were present during the 15-minute ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It is a tradition between the Indian and the Nepalese Army for the respective chiefs to be conferred honorary General rank of each other's Army too.

Gen Gurung, who was born on July 18, 1952 in Tanahu district of Nepal, is a graduate of the Dehradun-based IMA and has had long association with the Indian Army training establishments where he had done several military courses.

He joined the Nepal Army in December 1971 and after 38 years of service, was appointed the chief of the Nepalese Army on September 9 this year.

The General also has peace-keeping experience, having served with the United Nations mission in Lebanon for two years as Operations Staff Officer, Chief Military Personnel Officer and Chief of Staff.

Gen Gurung, who was also Nepal Military Attache in United Kingdom and France, has commanded an Infantry Brigade, Special Forces Brigade and an Infantry Division during counter insurgency operations in the volatile mid-Western region of Nepal.

His instructional appointments include Infantry School, High Altitude and Mountain Warfare School and as Commandant of Recruit Training Centre.

Under Staff posting, he was in the Directorate of Military Training, Quarter Master General, Chief of Staff and Chief of General Staff of the Nepalese Army.

He has attended numerous courses abroad including Young Officer (Infantry), Battalion Support Weapon, Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare, Junior Command and Senior Command courses in India, Staff College in the US and National Defence University in China.

Nepal has already decorated him with 'Tri-Shakti Patta Class-III' and many other decorations and medals.

He has contributed in furthering the existing bonds of goodwill and understanding not only between the Indian Army and the Nepalese Army, but also with armies of other countries.