84 Gallantry Awards to personnel of Armed and Paramilitary Forces announced

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, has approved 84 gallantry awards for the personnel in India’s armed forces and also the members of the Paramilitary forces for their acts of bravery to protect the country’s security and honour.

Details of the Awards

These awards include one Kirti Chakra, nine Shaurya Chakras, five Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 60 Sena Medals (Gallantry), four Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and five Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry) and they are normally announced on the eve of the Independence Day of the country.

Shaurya Chakra Awards

This year, there were three Shaurya Chakra Awardees from the Indian Army for their counter-terrorism operations. The Wing Commander Vishak Naik has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra. Other recipients from the Indian Army are Lt. Col. Krishan Singh Rawat, Major Anil Urs and Havildar Alok Kumar Dubey. This is the third-highest peacetime gallantry award in the country for contribution to gallantry otherwise in the face of the enemy.

Sena Medals Awardees

The Sena Medals have been bestowed to 60 Army Personnel, four Nao Sena Medals for the Navy and five Vayu Sena Medals for the Indian Air Force. Five Army personnel have been chosen for the Bar to Sena Medal as well.

Apart from these, 19 Mention-in-Despatches to Army Personnel have also been awarded for contributing significantly in various military operations, including eight posthumous awards for ‘Operation Meghdoot’ and ‘Operation Rakshak’.

Operation Meghdoot

It was launched in the year 1984 launched in the Siachen Glacier against the Pakistan Army. The military action resulted in the Indian Army getting overall control of the entire Siachen Glacier. Located in the Eastern Karakoram Range, it is the second-longest glacier in the world’s non-polar areas. It is also the highest battlefield in the world.

Operation Rakshak

It is a counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operation started during the height of the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir in June 1990. This was extended to more areas in 1991. Between 2017 and 2015, more than 750 Indian Army personnel died in this operation of the armed forces.

Gallantry Awards

There are mainly six gallantry awards in India that can be divided into wartime awards and Peace Time Awards. The War-Time Awards are – Param Vir Chakra, Mahavir Chakra and Vir Chakra whereas the Peacetime Awards are Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.

Apart from these, there are various Distinguished Service medals such as the Sena Medal, Nao Sena Medal and Vayu Sena Medal.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020