Army chief in Pune on 3-day visit, to review operational preparedness of Southern Command

Officials said that General Naravane will interact with top officials of the command and will visit various military installations as part of the visit. Various formations of the Pune- headquartered Southern Command undertook many humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations during floods and cyclones in the recent past. The Army Chief is slated to review these operations.

The Southern Command is geographically the largest Command of the Indian Army and is spread over 11 states and four union territories, covering nearly 40 per cent of India’s geographical area.

The Southern Command had proactively undertaken Operation Namaste ‘to mitigate spread of Covid-19’ in the southern states, which were emerging as hotspots during the peak period of the pandemic. Operation Namaste referred to the practice of greeting with a namaste instead of a handshake to avoid physical contact.

General Naravane’s family is from Pune. His father, Mukund Naravane, was with the Indian Air Force and his mother Sudha Naravane was a writer and news broadcaster with the All India Radio in Pune. The General is an alumnus of the Jnana Prabodhini Prashala and the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla.