Type Military award Post-nominals PVC Last awarded 6 July 1999 Established 26 January 1950 | Status Currently awarded First awarded 3 November 1947 Category Wartime gallantry award Next (Lower) Ashoka Chakra Total awarded 21 | |
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Eligibility "Officers, men and women of all ranks of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, of any of the Reserve Forces, of the Territorial Army Militia and of any other lawfully constituted Armed Forces.""Matrons, Sisters, Nurses and the staff of the Nursing Services and other Service pertaining to Hospitals and Nursing, and Civilians of either sex serving regularly or temporarily under the orders, directions or supervision of any of the above-mentioned Forces." Awarded for Most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. | ||
Yogendra singh yadav awarded the highest indian military honour param vir chakra
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self–sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. Literally meaning "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", it is similar to the Medal of Honor in the United States and the Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom.
Contents
- Yogendra singh yadav awarded the highest indian military honour param vir chakra
- History
- Design
- Recipients
- Allowances and rewards for the awardees
- Allowances by state governments
- Cancellation
- In popular culture
- References
The Ashoka Chakra is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other than in the face of the enemy. Unlike the Param Vir Chakra, which is awarded only to military personnel, the Ashoka Chakra decoration may be awarded either to military or civilian personnel. Similarly to the PVC, it can be awarded posthumously. A number of central and state governments and ministries of India provide several allowances and rewards to recipients of the PVC (or his family members in case of the recipient's death).
History
The PVC was established on 26 January 1950 (Republic Day of India), by the President of India, but went into effect on 15 August 1947 (Independence Day of India). It can be awarded to officers or enlisted personnel from all branches of the Indian military. Provision was made in the event an individual was awarded the PVC twice. In this were to occur, they would receive a bar and a replica of the vajra (club), the weapon of Indra, the god of heaven. To date, the award has not been conferred twice. It carries with it the right to use "PVC" as a post-nominal abbreviation.
Design
The medal was designed by Savitri Khanolkar, the wife of an Indian Army officer, Vikram Khanolkar of the Sikh Regiment. This was done following a request from the first Indian adjutant general of India, Major General Hira Lal Atal, who had in turn been entrusted with the responsibility of coming up with an Indian equivalent of the Victoria Cross by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first prime minister of the Indian Union. Coincidentally, the first Param Vir Chakra was awarded to her son-in-law Lt. Gen. Surinder Nath Sharma's elder brother, Major Somnath Sharma, for his bravery in the Kashmir operations in November 1947.
The medal is a circular bronze disc 1.375 inches (3.49 cm) in diameter. On the front, the state emblem appears in the center on a raised circle surrounded by four copies of the vajra, the mythical weapon of Indra, the ancient Vedic King of Gods. The motif symbolizes the sacrifice of Rishi Dadhichi, who gave his bones to the Gods to make the vajra to kill the demon Vritra. The medal is suspended from a straight swiveling suspension bar. On the rear, around a plain center, are two legends separated by lotus flowers. The words Param Vir Chakra are written in Hindi and English. A purple ribbon, 32 millimetres (1.3 in) long, holds the Param Vir Chakra.
Recipients
The medal has been awarded 21 times, of which 14 were posthumous awards, and 16 were awards for action in Indo-Pakistani conflicts. Of the 21 awardees, 20 have been from the Indian Army, and 1 has been from the Indian Air Force. The Grenadiers have received the greatest number of Param Vir Chakras, with three awards. The various Gorkha Rifle regiments of the Indian Army have received three awards, with the 1, 8, and 11 Gorkha Rifle regiments each having one PVC recipient.
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously in 1971, is the only Indian Air Force officer to date to have been honoured with the Param Vir Chakra. Naib Subedar Sanjay Kumar, and Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav, are the only active duty PVC recipients in the Indian Army.
Allowances and rewards for the awardees
Beyond the obvious honour, the award also carries a cash allowance for those under the rank of lieutenant (or the appropriate service equivalent), and in some cases a cash award. Upon the death of the recipient, the pension is transferred to the widow until her death or remarriage. In the case of a posthumous recipient who is a bachelor, the allowance is paid to his father or mother. In the case of the award being conferred posthumously on a widower, the allowance is to be paid to his son or unmarried daughter. A monthly stipend of 10,000 rupees is given the awardee. The award amount and pension benefits are exempted from income tax. In addition, different ministries under the Central Government have various awards for PVC winners. These include a first class /AC 2 tier Complimentary Pass to the awardee along with a companion from the Ministry of Railways, a 75% concession on economy fares by Indian Airlines, and no rental, installation or registration charges for the services of the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) telecommunications service provider. In addition, the awardee is exempted from the toll tax by the Ministry of Transport.
Allowances by state governments
Many Indian states have established individual pension rewards that far exceed the central government's stipend for recipients of the decoration.
Cancellation
There is a provision for the cancellation of the award by the President of India. If an awardee's award is cancelled, his or her name is removed from the register, and they must return the medal. The President can also withdraw an award cancellation order. Any notice of cancellation or restoration is published in the Gazette of India.
In popular culture
The TV series, Param Vir Chakra (1990), which focuses on the lives of Param Vir Chakra winners, was directed by Chetan Anand. The first episode of the series featured the first recipient of the award, Major Som Nath Sharma of the Kumaon Regiment.
The Bollywood film LOC Kargil (2003) gives an account of all of the PVC recipients from the Kargil War. Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey is played by Ajay Devgan, Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav is played by Manoj Bajpayee, Naib Subedar Sanjay Kumar is played by Sunil Shetty, and Captain Vikram Batra is played by Abhishek Bachchan.