Nagpur Apr 18 PTI Lt Gen Manoj C Pande who has been appointed the 29th Chief of the Army Staff hails from Nagpur and members of his family are connected with the defence forces while his academician-father retired from the Nagpur university and the mother worked in the All India RadioLt Gen Pande will succeed General MM Naravane whose tenure ends on April 30Currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff he will become the first commander from the Corps of Engineers to take charge of the 13-million-strong force as the position has been held so far by officers from infantry artillery and armoured regimentsCol Abhay Patwardhan retd who has met Lt Gen Pande a couple of times in Nagpur told PTI on Monday that the latter did his initial schooling from the city and has a lot of acquaintances hereHe described Lt Gen Pande who was born on May 6 1962 as a very capable officer who has the ability to become the Chief of Defence Staff CDS alsoA senior journalist who knows his family said Lt Gen Pandes father C G Pande lives in NagpurC G Pande was a consulting psychotherapist and retired as the Head of the Department Psychology of the Nagpur university while Lt Gen Pandes mother late Prema was a popular announcer and host with the All India Radio he saidLt Gen Pandes youngest brother Sanket Pande also was in the Indian Army and retired as a Colonel His other brother Ketan Pande and his wife live abroad the journalist saidLt Gen Pandes wife Archana is a homemaker while son Akshay is an officer in the Indian Air Force IAF he added PTI CLS RSY RSY

Rupa (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], October 19 (ANI): Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Manoj Pande on Tuesday said the Chinese Army's activities have increased marginally in-depth areas across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is under tight surveillance of the Indian Army.