Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday( 3 April) flagged off an Indian Army-led expedition to Mt. Everest, comprising 34 climbers. The minister also flagged off a joint Indo-Nepal expedition team, which aims to scale Mt. Kangchenjunga . 

• The Indian Army's Mt. Everest expedition team, comprising 34 climbers, will follow the traditional South Col Route and will be led by Lieutenant Colonel Manoj Joshi, it said.
• The joint Indo-Nepal expedition, which aims to scale Mt. Kangchenjunga - world's third highest mountain peak lying at the India-Nepal border, will be led by Colonel Sarfaraz Singh of the Indian Army.
• The expeditions are designed to showcase the exceptional skills, resilience and indomitable spirit of the armed forces, while setting new benchmarks in the field of high-altitude mountaineering. 
•  The event, organised by the Indian Army, was attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Nepal’s Ambassador to India Shankar P Sharma, a delegation from Nepal and other senior civil and military officials.