KATHMANDU: At a time when the Nepali Army is learnt to be proposing a sizeable increase in defence budget, Defence Minister Bidhya Devi Bhandari today visited the Army Headquarters and met Chief of Army Staff Rookmangud Katawal and other high-ranking officers.

This was Bhandari's first visit to the Army Headquarters after her appointment to the post.

Earlier, CoAS Katawal visited Minister Bhandari at the Defence Ministry last week and requested the latter not to cut down the Nepali Army budget. Katawal had also requested the Defence Minister for additional budget in the upcoming fiscal year.

As the budget session of Parliament approaches, the NA is enthusiastic about getting additional budget from the Finance Ministry.

The Defence Minister visited the Army Headquarters to know more about the army and its working criteria, an NA officer informed the The Himalayan Times.

The NA is learnt to have sought more budget to modernise the army.