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General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, Indian Army is sheduled to visit Nepal from November 20 to November 24, upon the invitation of General Ashok Raj Sigdel, Chief of the Army Staff, Nepali Army.
During his visit, General Dwivedi will pay homage at the martyrs' memorial in the Army Pavilion and receive a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Nepali Army Headquarters. He will engage in an official meeting with General Sigdel from the Nepali Army. General Dwivedi will also interact with the student officers at the Army Command and Staff College in Shivapuri and visit to Western Divisional Headquarter in Pokhara, Nepal. A key highlight of the visit will be the conferral of an honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army upon General Dwivedi by the President of Nepal. Additionally, he will also meet the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister of Nepal. Nepal shares border with 5 Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The age old civilizational and cultural ties that exist between India and Nepal are exemplified by the strong people to people link between both the countries. Nepal is a priority partner of India under its 'Neighbourhood First' Policy. These bonds of friendship are also strengthened by regular exchanges at high level between India and Nepal. These frequent high level visits and exchanges have added momentum to the bilateral partnerships, and helped the leadership to review at regular intervals the entire gamut of the relation. India and Nepal have a long standing and extensive mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of defence and security. Both armies share excellent and harmonious relationship based on mutual trust and respect. India and Nepal also have the long-standing tradition of awarding Honorary rank of General to each other's' Army Chief. The strong relations between both the armies have been further cemented via the Gurkha Regiment. Currently, over 30,000 Gurkha soldiers from Nepal are serving in the Indian Army. In addition to the Military Pension Branch in Kathmandu, Pension Paying offices also functioning in Dharan and Pokhara, along with the District Soldier Boards, which helps in effective disbursal of pensions and in organizing various welfare program including re-training, re-rehabilitating and assisting ex-Gurkha soldiers and their families. (ANI)
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