• Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande will continue to serve in the post till June 30 with the government extending his tenure by one month. Gen Pande was to retire from service on May 31.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved extension in service of Gen Pande up to June 30 under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules 1954.

• The extension to Gen Pande came nearly five decades after the then Indira Gandhi-led government extended the tenure of Army Chief Gen G.G. Bewoor by one year, who succeeded Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw as army chief in January 1973.

• In view of extension given to Gen Bewoor, the next in line Lt Gen Prem Bhagat retired from service without becoming the Army Chief.

Four decades of illustrious service

• Gen Pande took charge as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff on April 30, 2022 after Gen M.M. Naravane retired from service.

• Before assuming the charge of the top post, Gen Pande was serving as the Vice Chief. He is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to helm the force.

• Before taking charge as Vice Chief of Army Staff on February 1, Lt Gen Pande was heading the Eastern Army Command that takes care of guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors.

• An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982.

• Lt Gen Pande has held several prestigious command and staff assignments in conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations in all types of terrain.

• He commanded an engineer regiment along the Line of Control during operation Parakram in Jammu & Kashmir, an engineer brigade in the western sector, an infantry brigade along the LoC and a mountain division in the high-altitude area of western Ladakh and a Corps in the North East.

• His staff exposures include Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade in the North East, Assistant Military Secretary (AMS) in the Military Secretary’s Branch and Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at headquarters of the Eastern Command. 

• In his distinguished career, Lt Gen Pande also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) which is India’s only tri-services command. 

• The General Officer has served as chief engineer in the United Nations mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

• He has also served as the additional director general in the military operations directorate at the Army headquarters and as chief of staff, at the headquarters of the Southern Command.

• For his illustrious service, he has been conferred with the award Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

Corps of Engineers

• The Corps of Engineers is one of the oldest arms of the Indian Army. The origin of the Corps dates back to 1780 when the two regular pioneer companies of the Madras Sappers were raised. Subsequently, the Group of Madras, Bengal and Bombay Sappers were formed and later merged on  November 18, 1932 to form the Corps of Engineers in its present form.

• The Corps of Engineers consists of four major constituents namely Combat Engineers, Military Engineer Service, Border Roads Organisation and Military Survey.

• In war, Combat Engineers provide mobility to own forces by constructing bridges, tracks and helipads. The Corps denies the same to the enemy by creating obstacles such as laying mine-fields and demolition of bridges.

• Engineer units have been deployed abroad as part of UN Missions. They have brought laurels to our country by constructing bridges, opening lines of communication and executing numerous humanitarian tasks.

• The Military Engineering Service, which is an important part of the Corps, has played a crucial role in nation building. It provides MES cover not only to the three services — Army, Navy and Air Force — but also to Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), KV Sangathan and ordnance factories. A number of prestigious and time bound projects have been completed over the years.

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has made its own contribution to the nation by constructing national highways, airfields, buildings and bridges. 

• True to the motto SARVATRA, the Corps of Engineers has excelled in multifarious activities in war and peace. In peace time the Sappers have always been in the forefront in rendering aid to the civil authorities during natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes. Engineer units have also been engaged in counter insurgency operations in J&K and the northeast.

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