Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Podali Shankar Rajeshwar

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime ...

, VSM, ADC is a former

General officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

. He last served as the 14th

Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) is the head of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the first and only Joint warfare, Tri-service Theater (warfare), theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Sri Vijaya Puram (for ...

, from December 2019 to May 2020. He took office on 1 December 2019 when Vice Admiral

Bimal Verma Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, AVSM, ADC is a retired Flag Officer in the Indian Navy. He served as the 13th Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command from 29 February 2016 to 1 December 2019. Early life and education Verma attended the Rasht ...

retired. He superannuated on 31 May 2020, handing over command to Lieutenant General

Manoj Pande General Manoj Pande (born 6 May 1962) is a retired four star general officer of the Indian Army. He last served as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff. He previously served as 43rd Vice Chief of the Army Staff, prior to that he was General Offi ...

. Earlier, he had served as the 12th

Chief of Integrated Defence Staff The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) is the statutory office that heads the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), the principal inter-service syndicate of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a t ...

, from November 2018 to November 2019.

Early life and education

Rajeshwar is an alumnus of

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

, Dehradun and National Defence College, Delhi. He also holds a master's degree in national security administration from National Defense College, Philippines.

Career

Rajeshwar was commissioned into the Indian army's

Regiment of Artillery Regiment of Artillery may refer to: * Regiment of Artillery (Pakistan) * Regiment of Artillery (India) The Regiment of Artillery is a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of t ...

in December 1980. He has various operational experiences in high altitude areas, counter-insurgency areas in the North East, and counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. He has held commands of an artillery regiment during

Operation Parakram Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, an infantry brigade at line of control, General-Officer-Commanding

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ( ...

, Director General of Perspective Planning at the Integrated Headquarters and GOC of Romeo Force in Jammu and Kashmir. He has also served in various United Nations Peacekeeping operations to Rwanda and Mozambique. Rajeshwar served as 12th Chief of

Integrated Defence Staff The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. It is composed of representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Navy ...

to the

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) is an administrative forum of the senior-most military leaders of the Indian Armed Forces, which advises the Government of India on all military and strategic matters deemed privy to military coordination, ...

(CISC) of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

. He assumed the office on 1 November 2018 when Lieutenant General Satish Dua retired, and served in the same capacity till 30 November 2019 when Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar took over.

Honours and decorations

During 38 years of his career, he has been awarded

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

in January (2020),

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime D ...

in January 2018 and

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM, ) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize ex ...

in January 2016 for his service.

Dates of rank

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajeshwar, Podali Shankar Living people Indian generals Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal Indian Army officers 1960 births National Defence College, India alumni Commanders-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal