Rakesh Garhwal

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF   Introduction: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat have been confirmed to be among the 13 people who died in the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. General Bipin Rawat was India's first Chief of Defence Staff. He was appointed for the topmost position in December 2019.   Background: The proposal for setting up a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post has been contemplated around 20 years ago after the Kargil war of 1999 by the K. Subrahmanyam committee but it never moved forward due to the absence of political consensus and apprehensions among services. Later in 2012, the Naresh Chandra Committee recommended the appointment of a Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), but it too never moved. On 15 August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort announced the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post.  On 31 December 20...