Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma conferred the insignia on newly promoted Lieutenant General Ashok Raj Sigdel during a ceremony at the Nepal Army headquarters on Friday.
The cabinet meeting held on Thursday promoted Major General Sigdel to the rank of Lieutenant General on the recommendation of the Nepal Army headquarters.
Sigdel will be elevated to the rank of Chief of Army Staff when the incumbent army chief Sharma retires in September next year. He has been given the responsibility of Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCoAS).
Sigdel was promoted to the post after the senior-most Major General in the Nepal Army, Tara Dhwoj Pandey, stepped down when the army headquarters formed an inquiry committee to investigate his official documents. He has been accused of tampering with his educational certificates to secure promotion.
Born in the Kapilvastu district in 1966, Sigdel joined the Nepal Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1986. He has performed responsibility as the chief of different units of the Nepal Army, such as the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare Academy, Directorate of Military Operations, and the Department of Staff Duties, Policy, and Plans. He has led various divisions and commands of the army and has participated in several trainings and seminars in India, Indonesia, China, Singapore, and the US, among others.
He completed his National Defence Course in China and has participated in peacekeeping missions in Yugoslavia, Tajikistan, and Liberia.
On the occasion, CoAS Sharma also conferred insignia on newly promoted Major General Santosh Ballabh Poudel. He has been given responsibility for the Western Division of the Nepal Army.
