New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of Cabinet on Sunday extended the service of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj C Pande’s service for one month amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country.
General Manoj C Pande was about to retire on May 31. However, with the approval of the extension in his service, he will now keep on serving the country till June 30, 2024.
Notably, General Manoj C Pande was appointed as the COAS on April 30, 2022.
Announcing the extension, the Ministry of Defence issued a press release, “The Appointments Committee of Cabinet, on May 26, 2024, approved the extension in service of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj C Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC for a period of one month, beyond his normal age of superannuation (May 31, 2024), i.e. up to June 30, 2024, under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules 1954.”
“He was appointed as the COAS on April 30, 2022. He was commissioned in December 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers). He held the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff before taking over as the COAS”, the ministry added.
Currently, the Vice Chief of the Army Staff is Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi. It is worth mentioning that General Pande’s successor has still not been named.