Manoj Pande (general)

Lieutenant General Manoj Chandrashekhar Pande,[1] AVSM, VSM is a serving General Officer in the Indian Army. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN). He assumed office on 1 June 2020, succeeding Lt Gen Podali Shankar Rajeshwar.

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande AVSM, VSM
Lt Gen Manoj Pande (front, right) with then Lt Gen Naravane as GOC-in-C of Eastern Command in May 2019
Allegiance	India
Service/branch	Indian Army
Years of service	1982 – present
Rank	Lieutenant General
Service number	IC-40716F[1]
Unit	Bombay Sappers Corps of Engineers
Commands held	Andaman and Nicobar Command IV Corps 8 Mountain Division 52 Infantry Brigade 117 Engineer Regiment
Awards	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal

Early life and education

Pande was born to Dr. C G Pande, a consulting Psychotherapist who retired as the Head of the Department of Psychology of the Nagpur University, and Prema, an announcer and host with the All India Radio. The family hails from Nagpur.[2] After his schooling, he joined the National Defence Academy (NDA). After NDA, he joined the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned as an officer.[3]

Career

Pande was commissioned into the Bombay Sappers, one of the regiments in the Corps of Engineers, in December 1982. He attended the Staff College, Camberley in the United Kingdom. After completing the course, he returned to India and was appointed brigade major of a mountain brigade in Northeast India.[4] After promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he served as the Chief Engineer at the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.[3]

Pande has commanded the 117 Engineer Regiment along the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He was in command of the regiment during Operation Parakram.[5] He then attended the Army War College, Mhow and completed the Higher Command Course. After the course, he was appointed Colonel Q at HQ 8 Mountain Division.[5] He was then promoted to the rank of Brigadier and given command of an Engineer brigade as part of a Strike Corps in the western theatre.[5] He also commanded the 52 Infantry Brigade, positioned along the LOC. Pande was selected to attend the prestigious National Defence College.[3] After completing the course, he was appointed Brigadier General Staff Operations (BGS-Ops) at HQ Eastern Command.

After promotion to the rank of Major General, Pande took command of 8 Mountain Division which was involved in high-altitude operations in western Ladakh.[4] He then served a tenure in the Military Operations directorate at Army Headquarters as the Additional Director General (ADG).[4] Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Southern Command.[2] On 30 December 2018, Pande took command of the IV Corps at Tezpur from Lt Gen Gurpal Singh Sangha.[6][7] The corps is deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as well as in Counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.[3] After about a year-and-a half at the helm of IV Corps, he moved to Army HQ and was appointed Director General dealing with subjects of Discipline, Ceremonial and Welfare.[3]

On 30 April 2020, Pande was appointed the next Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. He assumed command on 1 June 2020 after the incumbent Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar superannuated on 31 May 2020.[8]

Honours and decorations

He is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal.[9][10] Apart from these, he has been awarded the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Commendation Card and two GOC-in-C commendation cards.[4]

	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal	Vishisht Seva Medal
Special Service Medal	Operation Vijay Medal		Operation Parakram Medal
Sainya Seva Medal	High Altitude Service Medal	Videsh Seva Medal	50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
30 Years Long Service Medal	20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal	UNMEE

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date of rank
	Second Lieutenant	Indian Army	24 December 1982[1]
	Lieutenant	Indian Army	24 December 1984[11]
	Captain	Indian Army	24 December 1987[12]
	Major	Indian Army	24 December 1993[13]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	Indian Army	16 December 2004[14]
	Colonel	Indian Army	1 March 2006[15]
	Brigadier	Indian Army	1 April 2010 (substantive, seniority from 25 January 2009)[16]
	Major General	Indian Army	1 July 2015 (substantive, seniority from 12 June 2012)[17]
	Lieutenant-General	Indian Army	1 September 2017[18]

References

1. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 3 November 1984. p. 1810.
2. News, Nagpur. "Nagpurian appointed as Chief of Staff at Southern Command Headquarters". www.nagpurtoday.in.
3. "Lieutenant General Manoj Pande takes over as Commander-In-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command Tomorrow;". pib.gov.in.
4. "Lt Gen Manoj Pande takes over as new chief of Southern Command Pune". United News of India. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
5. "Integrated Defence Staff". www.ids.nic.in.
6. India, Press Trust of (30 December 2018). "Lt Gen Manoj Pande takes charge of Gajraj Corps". Business Standard India.
7. Feeds, P. T. I. (30 December 2018). "Lt Gen Manoj Pande takes charge of Gajraj Corps". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com.
8. DelhiApril 30, Manjeet Singh Negi New; April 30, Manjeet Singh Negi New; Ist, Manjeet Singh Negi New. "Lt Gen Manoj Pande appointed chief of Andaman & Nicobar command at Port Blair". India Today.
9. "h17". www.sainiksamachar.nic.in.
10. "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in.
11. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 31 May 1986. p. 887.
12. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 26 November 1988. p. 1723.
13. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 14 May 1994. p. 940.
14. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 October 2005. p. 1895.
15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 April 2007. p. 636.
16. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 16 February 2013. p. 274.
17. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 May 2016. p. 1310.
18. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 9 February 2019. p. 393.