Chief of Army Staff General Purna Chandra Thapa will be leaving for India, his first international trip since taking charge of the Nepal Army, in the second week of January. He will be conferred the title of honorary general of the Indian Army. , Army spokesperson Brig Gen Gokul Bhandaree confirmed.

It is customary practice between the two neighbouring nations to award the honorary title to each other’s army chiefs. General Thapa, who took charge of the national defence force on August 9, will embark on a six-day trip on January 11. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind will hand over the insignia of the honorary chief amid a function to be held at the presidential residence in New Delhi. During the official visit at the invitation of his counterpart Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat, Thapa is scheduled to meet Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and visit some of the defence training institutes. He will return on January 16.

Earlier in July, Rawat was in Nepal to receive the similar honour from President Bidya Devi Bhandari. The practice of exchanging the title of honorary chief has been going on since 1950.

Similar to the practice followed by Nepali prime ministers, there is a tradition in the Nepal Army that sees its chiefs make New Delhi their first international destination after taking command of the defence force.