General (India)
General is a Four Star General Officer rank in the Indian Army. It is the highest active rank in the Indian Army. General ranks above the Three Star rank of Lieutenant General and below the Five Star rank of Field Marshal, which is largely a war-time or ceremonial rank.
General | |
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Flag of a General | |
Rank Insignia of a General | |
Country | |
Service branch | |
Abbreviation | Gen |
Rank | Four-star rank |
Next higher rank | Field Marshal |
Next lower rank | Lieutenant General |
Equivalent ranks | Admiral (Indian Navy) Air Chief Marshal (Indian Air Force) |
Equivalent ranks of Indian military | ||
---|---|---|
Indian Navy | Indian Army | Indian Air Force |
Commissioned ranks | ||
Admiral of the Fleet | Field Marshal | Marshal of the Indian Air Force |
Admiral | General | Air Chief Marshal |
Vice Admiral | Lieutenant General | Air Marshal |
Rear Admiral | Major General | Air Vice Marshal |
Commodore | Brigadier | Air Commodore |
Captain | Colonel | Group Captain |
Commander | Lieutenant Colonel | Wing Commander |
Lieutenant commander | Major | Squadron Leader |
Lieutenant | Captain | Flight Lieutenant |
Sub Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Flying Officer |
Junior commissioned ranks | ||
Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class | Subedar Major[Alt 1] | Master warrant officer |
Master Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class | Subedar[Alt 2] | Warrant officer |
Chief Petty Officer | Naib Subedar[Alt 3] | Junior warrant officer |
Non-commissioned ranks | ||
Petty Officer | Havildar | Sergeant |
Leading Seaman | Naik | Corporal |
Seaman 1 | Lance Naik | Leading aircraftsman |
Seaman 2 | Sepoy | Aircraftsman |
Footnotes | ||
A General may be referred to as a Full General or Four Star General to distinguish them from lower General Officer ranks like Lieutenant General and Major General.
The rank is held by the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), the professional head of the Indian Army, and may also be held by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Until 1 January 2020, when the post of Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) was established, the COAS was the only officer to hold the rank of Full General. Since the creation of the post and the appointment of General Bipin Rawat as the first CDS, there are two serving Full Generals for the first time in Independent India.[1]
The current Generals in the Indian Armed Forces are the CDS General Bipin Rawat and the COAS General Manoj Mukund Naravane.
The equivalent rank in the Indian Navy is Admiral and in the Indian Air Force is Air Chief Marshal.
Insignia
The badges of rank have a Crossed sword and baton over a five-pointed star and Ashoka emblem above. [2]
The Gorget patches of a General are:
- CDS - Maroon patches with Four golden stars and golden laurel wreath
- COAS - Crimson patches with Four golden stars and golden laurel wreath
Appointment and Term length
Appointments to the office of CDS and COAS are made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.
The term length of the Chief of Defence Staff is three years or until the age of 65 of the holder, whichever is earlier. [3]
The COAS reaches superannuation upon three years in the office or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier. [4]
Order of Precedence
A General ranks at No. 12 on the Indian order of precedence, along with the Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.[5] A General is at Pay level 18, equivalent to Cabinet Secretary of India (at No. 11 on the Warrant of Precedence), with a monthly pay of ₹250,000 (US$3,500).[6][7]
See Also
- Chief of Defence Staff
- Chief of the Army Staff
- List of serving generals of the Indian Army
- Army ranks and insignia of India
References
- Philip, Snehesh Alex (31 December 2019). "'Quintessential Army man' General Manoj Mukund Naravane takes over as chief". ThePrint.
- "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in.
- DelhiDecember 29, Manjeet Singh Negi New; December 29, Manjeet Singh Negi New; Ist, Manjeet Singh Negi New. "Maximum age limit for Chief of Defence Staff put at 65". India Today.
- Gurung, Shaurya Karanbir (29 December 2019). "Government amends rules to allow Chief of Defence Staff to serve up to maximum age of 65 years". The Economic Times.
- "President's Secretariat" (PDF). Office of the President of India. Rajya Sabha. 1979-08-26. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 20 November 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015.
- DelhiJune 29, India Today Web Desk New; June 29, India Today Web Desk New; Ist, India Today Web Desk New. "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today.