Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand, who has been appointed Vice-Chief of the Army Staff, relinquished the reins of the South-Western Command at a ceremony here on Thursday. He paid tributes to martyrs at ‘Prerna Sthal’ at the command headquarters and reviewed a guard of honour presented to him.
Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Jaipur-based South-Western Command, christened as the ‘Sapta Shakti’, in February last year. Under his leadership, the command scaled new heights of operational readiness with greater degree of synergy among various arms and services of the Army and with the IAF.
Besides his focus on professionalism and training, Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand also laid emphasis on welfare of troops and a humane approach towards welfare of ex-servicemen. He established veterans’ cells and helplines and implemented an innovative ‘Satat Milaap’ concept in the form of regular interactions with veterans and war widows in the interiors of Rajasthan.
In his capacity as the Vice-Chief, Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand will head the general staff branch at the Army headquarters and provide crucial support to the Army Chief in discharge of his duties. According to an official statement here, he will be responsible for ensuring operational effectiveness of the Army.
