Nepal confers honorary General rank on Indian Army chief Dhiraj Seth

Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth was conferred the rank of Honorary General of the Nepal Army by President Ramchandra Paudel at an investiture ceremony at Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu on Monday. The ceremony was attended by Nepal Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, India's Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava, and senior officials from both armies, the President's Secretariat said.

General Seth is on a four-day official visit to Nepal at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart General Ashok Raj Sigdel. The Nepal Army said the visit is expected to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation between the two armies. The Indian Embassy said the visit reaffirms the unique and time-tested defence relations between the two countries, founded on shared values and enduring army-to-army ties.

The conferral continues a tradition dating back to 1950, under which the two armies exchange the honorary rank of general for each other's chiefs. General Seth also met General Sigdel at the Nepal Army headquarters, discussed military cooperation, and handed over military and medical equipment to the Nepal Army. He also planted a sapling at the headquarters and received a guard of honour.