The Chief of the Army Staff of India, General Dhiraj Seth, was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army on 17 August 2026 in a gesture of honour and goodwill. A distinguished officer of the Indian Army with over forty years of service, General Seth took over as the Chief of the Army Staff on 30 June 2026. His contributions to the modernisation of the Indian Army have been remarkable, in addition to his operational and strategic expertise.
The President of Nepal, Ramchandra Paudel, conferred the honour upon General Seth at an investiture ceremony held at Nepal’s Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu. The Vice President of Nepal, Mr. Ramsahay Prasad Yadav; Nepal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Shisir Khanal; the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Mr. Naveen Srivastava; and officials of the Nepali government and army were in attendance. This marks another chapter in the ongoing tradition between the two countries since 1950 under which each country’s Army Chief is awarded the honorary rank of General by the other.
The decoration accompanies the three-day visit to Nepal that General Seth has undertaken between 17 and 19 August 2026. The visit aims to strengthen defence cooperation and army-to-army ties between the two countries, besides engaging with senior military leadership and Indian Army veterans.
Upon his arrival in Kathmandu, General Seth interacted with the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Mr. Naveen Srivastava. He was received by a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Nepali Army Headquarters the following day and paid homage at the Army Pavilion in Tundikhel by laying a wreath in honour of the martyrs. He also called on the Chief of the Army Staff, Nepali Army, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, for a briefing and discussions on bilateral defence cooperation. A consignment including an electric bus and medical equipment for disaster relief was presented to reiterate India’s commitment towards cooperation in capacity building. The ceremony was held later that day at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, popularly known as Sheetal Niwas, where he also called on President Paudel to discuss bilateral ties.
General Seth, on 18 August 2026, addressed the students at Army Command and Staff College, Nepal, on “Evolving Dynamics of Modern Warfare and its Implications on Junior Leadership”. He emphasised innovation, adaptability, and professional competence, and shared valuable insights from his operational experience. He is set to travel to Pokhara on 19 August before returning to India. He will attend an Ex-Servicemen Rally to interact with Indian Army veterans and felicitate Veer Naris and gallantry awardees.
Nepal’s General Ashok Raj Sigdel was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, on 12 December 2024 at India’s Rashtrapati Bhavan. Such mutual recognition between the armies of India and Nepal is a testament to the deep-rooted respect the countries hold for their shared culture, history and diplomatic relations.
