General Manoj Pande on Saturday became the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to take over as the new Indian Army chief. General Pande, who was previously the Vice Chief of the Army, succeeded General MM Naravane on his superannuation. He had earlier headed the Eastern Army Command headquartered in the city of Kolkata. An alumnus of the coveted National Defence Academy, General Pande was commissioned in the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers way back in December 1982. Earlier in the day, the outgoing Army chief called on Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, the commander-in-chief of the military, and the Defence Minister. READ: New army chief SM Shafiuddin adorned with rank badge of General "General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff, along with his wife Smt Veena Naravane, called on President Ram Nath Kovind and First Lady Smt Savita Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the President's Office tweeted. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also tweeted: "Wonderful meeting with Army Chief, Gen MM Naravane, who's retiring today after serving the nation for 42 yrs. His contributions as a military leader has strengthened India’s defence capabilities and preparedness." With 1.4 million personnel, the Indian Army is the world's second-largest military force.