In a significant ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Shital Niwas, today, President Ramchandra Paudel of Nepal conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army on Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, General Upendra Dwivedi. The event marked a continuation of the long-standing military tradition between Nepal and India, which began in 1950, where both nations confer this honorary rank upon each other’s Army Chiefs.
During the special ceremony, President Paudel, who also holds the position of Supreme Commander of the Nepali Army, presented General Dwivedi with the insignia of Honorary General and a ceremonial ‘khadga,’ a traditional sword. This event underscores the deep military and diplomatic ties between the two neighboring countries.
General Dwivedi’s visit to Nepal was at the invitation of his counterpart, Chief of the Army Staff of the Nepali Army, General Ashok Raj Sigdel. Notable attendees included Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and Defence Minister Manbir Rai among other dignitaries.
This tradition has seen various high-profile exchanges in the past. For instance, the then President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, conferred the Honorary Rank of General of the Indian Army on the then Nepali Army Chief, General Prabhu Ram Sharma, on November 10, 2021. Similarly, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari honored then Indian Army Chief Manoj Pande with the rank of Honorary General of the Nepali Army on September 5, 2022.
The tradition was initiated when General KM Cariappa of the Indian Army was conferred the rank of Honorary General of the Nepali Army in 1950, and reciprocally, General Surendra Bahadur Shah of the Royal Nepalese Army was honored by India in 1969. This ceremonial exchange aims to bolster the cordial relations and friendship between the two nations and their armies, reinforcing peace and cooperation in the region.
