Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)

Ashoka Chakra


Ashoka Chakra and its ribbon, the highest peacetime decoration of India
Awarded by India Republic of India
Country India Republic of India
Type Medal
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 forces.
  • Members of the Nursing Services of the Armed Forces.
  • Civilian Citizens of either sex in all walks of life and members of Police Forces including Central Para-Military Forces and Railway protection Force.[1]
Awarded for Awarded for most conspicuous bravery, or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice otherwise than in the face of the enemy.[1]
Status Currently Awarded
Post-nominals AC
Statistics
Established 1952
First awarded 1952
Last awarded 2018
Total awarded 84 (As of 2018)[2][3]
Posthumous
awards		 58
Precedence
Next (higher) Param Vir Chakra[4]
Next (lower) Padma Vibhushan[4]

The Ashoka Chakra (alternative spelling: Ashok Chakra) is India's highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It 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. The decoration may be awarded either to military or civilian personnel. Ashok Chakra is equivalent to US Army's peacetime Medal of Honor and the British George Cross.[5]

Flt. Lt. Suhas Biswas was the first Indian Air Force officer to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra. Subsequent awards of the Ashoka Chakra are recognized by a bar to the medal ribbon. A recipient can be awarded the Kirti Chakra or Shaurya Chakra in addition for separate acts of gallantry.

History

The medal was originally established on 4 January 1952 as the "Ashoka Chakra, Class I" as the first step of a three-class sequence of non-combatant bravery decorations. In 1967, these decorations were removed from the "class-based" system and renamed as the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra. This is an important point in understanding the independent Indian view of decorations. It would also lead to changes in the Padma Vibhushan series, the distinguished service medal series, the life saving medal series, and the Defence Security Corps medal series.

From 1 February 1999, the central government instituted a monthly stipend for Ashoka Chakra recipients of Rs. 1400. Jammu and Kashmir awarded a cash award of Rs. 1500 (ca. 1960) for recipients of this award.

Overview

Obverse: Circular gold gilt, 1-3/8 inches in diameter. In the center, the chakra (wheel) of Ashoka, surrounded by a lotus wreath and with an ornate edge. Suspended by a straight bar suspender. The medal is named on the edge.

Reverse: Blank in the center, with "Ashoka Chakra" in Hindi along the upper edge on the medal and the same name in English along the lower rim. On either side is a lotus design. The center is blank, perhaps with the intent that details of the award be engraved there. There is no indication of the class on the pre-1967 awards, and, in fact, there is no difference between these medals and the post-1967 awards.

Ribbon: 32 mm, dark green with a 2 mm central saffron stripe.

To date, 84 people have been awarded the "Ashoka Chakra".[2][6]

Ashoka Chakra recipients

Key
# Indicates a posthumous honour
List of award recipients, showing the year
Year Recipient Refs.
2018Jyoti Prakash Nirala #[7]
2016Hangpan Dada #[8]
2015Mohan Goswami #[8]
2014Mukund Varadarajan #[8]
2014Neeraj Kumar Singh #[8]
2013K. Prasad Babu #[9]
2012Navdeep Singh #[8]
2011Laishram Jyotin Singh #[8]
2010Rajesh Kumar #[8]
2010D. Sreeram Kumar[8]
2009Mohit Sharma #[8]
2009Bahadur Singh Bohra #[10]
2009Hemant Karkare #[10]
2009Vijay Salaskar #[10]
2009Ashok Kamte #[10]
2009Tukaram Omble #[10]
2009Gajender Singh Bisht #[10]
2009Sandeep Unnikrishnan #[10]
2009Mohan Chand Sharma #[10]
2009Jojan Thomas #[10]
2009R. P. Diengdoh #[10]
2009Pramod Kumar Satapathy #[10]
2008Dinesh Raghu Raman #[11]
2007Radhakrishnan Nair Harshan #[11]
2007Chuni Lal #[11]
2007Vasanth Venugopal #[11]
2004Triveni Singh #[11]
2004Sanjog Chhetri #[11]
2002Surinder Singh #[11]
2002Rambeer Singh Tomar #[11]
2001Kamlesh Kumari #[11]
2000Sudhir Kumar Walia #[11]
1997Puneet Nath Datt #[11]
1997Shanti Swarup Rana #[11]
1996Arun Singh Jasrotia #[11]
1995Rajiv Kumar Joon #[11]
1995Sujjan Singh #[11]
1995Harsh Uday Singh Gaur[11]
1994Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair[11]
1993Rakesh Singh[11]
1992Sandeep Sankhla[12]
1991Randhir Prasad Verma[12]
1987Neerja Bhanot #[12]
1985Chhering Mutup[12]
1985Nirbhay Singh #[12]
1985Bhawani Datt Joshi[12]
1985Ram Prakash Roperia[12]
1985Jasbir Singh Raina[12]
1985Bhukant Misra[12]
1985Rakesh Sharma[12]
1984Gennadi Strekalov[12]
1984Yury Malyshev[12]
1981Cyrus Addie Pithawalla[12]
1974Gurunam Singh[12]
1972Ummed Singh Mahra #[12]
1969Jas Ram Singh[12]
1965Jia Lal Gupta[12]
1962Kharka Bahadur Linibu[12]
1962Man Bahadur Rai[12]
1958Eric James Tucker #[12]
1958Jem Bajirao Sakpal[12]
1957J. R. Chitnis #[12]
1957P. M. Raman #[12]
1957Joginder Singh #[12]
1956Sundar Singh[12]
1952Suhas Biswas[12]
1952Bachittar Singh #[12]
1952Narbahadur Thapa[12]

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=p6xUHC5yMgV3Tyuw9ZIb6w==&ParentID=tFRV4t12pKRhSFm2sMq5yQ==
  2. 1 2 "Awardees - Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in.
  3. ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/martyred-corporal-jyoti-prakash-nirala-joins-elite-iaf-club-tomorrow/articleshow/62647401.cms
  4. 1 2 "Precedence Of Medals". indianarmy.nic.in/. Indian Army. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Peacetime Military Awards
  6. ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/martyred-corporal-jyoti-prakash-nirala-joins-elite-iaf-club-tomorrow/articleshow/62647401.cms
  7. ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/martyred-corporal-jyoti-prakash-nirala-joins-elite-iaf-club-tomorrow/articleshow/62647401.cms
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Ashoka Chakra recipients (2009–16)". Indian Army Web Portal. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee giving away the highest gallantry award Ashok Chakra to Shri K. Venkatraman father of the Reserve Inspector, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Shri K.L.V.S.S.H.N.V. Prasad Babu, (Posthumous), during the 65th Republic Day Parade 2014, in New Delhi on January 26, 2014". Press Information Bureau, India. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Ashoka Chakra awardees and their saga of gallantry" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 25 January 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Ashoka Chakra recipients (1993–2009)". Indian Army Web Portal. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Ashoka Chakra recipients (1952–92)". Indian Army Web Portal. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.