Kathmandu, Dec 29: India's timely "moral and material support" to Nepal in its fight against Maoist insurgency has helped in improving the capabilities of the kingdom's army, the chief of Nepalese army said.
At the request of Nepalese government, India has supplied light machine guns, rifles and other arms and armoured vehicles to Nepal besides training personnel of the Nepalese army, General Pyar Jung Thapa said. This has helped improve capabilities of the royal Nepalese Army considerably, Thapa said on his return from a week-long visit to India at the invitation of Indian Chief of Army Staff Gen S Padmanabhan. During his talks with the Indian leadership, India reiterated its continued support to Nepal against the Maoist insurgency, Indian embassy here said in a press release.

Thapa, on his first visit to any foreign country after assuming office as the army chief, called on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President A P J Abdul Kalam and Defence Minister George Fernandes in New Delhi. Kalam, who is also the commander of the Indian armed force, conferred the honorary rank of general of the Indian Army on Thapa.
General Thapa also met chiefs of Indian Army, navy and air force and defence and foreign secretaries.

Thapa visited the infantry school in Madhya Pradesh, where a number of Nepalese Army personnel receive counter insurgency training.

Besides inspecting the Indian Army formation involved in counter-insurgency operations in Guwahati, Thapa also visited Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. in Bangalore.
Bureau Report