On Friday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General MM Naravane concluded his two-day visit to Bhopal. General MM Naravane was accompanied by Lieutenant General JS Nain, Southern Army Commander. This comes on the day when Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate was merged with the National War Memorial flame ahead of Republic Day celebrations, that will take place at New Delhi's Rajpath.

During the Bhopal visit, the COAS was briefed on operational preparedness and on the reforms being undertaken towards transforming the formation into a modern, cohesive, lean, and agile warfighting force by the Sudarshan Chakra Corps Commander and other commanders. Naravane appreciated the high levels of operational preparedness despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He further complimented the forces' proactive approach in undertaking flood relief operations at Datia, Shivpuri, Sheopur, Morena, Ashoknagar, and Jalon of Madhya Pradesh.
COAS Naravane interacted with troops and encouraged them to continue working with zeal and be prepared for any future operational challenges.

General Naravane also visited and reviewed the work at Headquarters Paschim Madhya Pradesh. He lauded the role of the Sub Area in assisting the civil administration in combating the COVID-19 pandemic by setting up Adhoc COVID Isolation Facilities, provision and repair of critical life-saving equipment, and augmentation of Civil Medical Infrastructure. The COAS visited three EME centers at Bairagarh Military Station and reviewed the training being imparted to shape the future generation of the Indian Army soldiers.

The Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate was merged with the National War Memorial flame on Friday, January 21, ahead of Republic Day celebrations. Air Marshal Balabadra Radha Krishna, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, in the absence of serving Chief of Defence Staff, presided over the event that merged the flames of Amar Jawan Jyoti with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial in a ceremonial function.

It should be mentioned here that the names of every Indian soldier martyred in all wars prior to 1971 and after have been engraved in the National War Memorial.