Awards and decorations of the Indian Armed Forces
Military awards and decorations of India
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The Armed Forces of India are eligible for many military decorations awarded for extraordinary bravery and distinguished service during times of war and peace. Service and campaign medals have been awarded throughout India's history as an independent state.
Post-nominal letters for wartime gallantry decorations were approved when those decorations were created in 1950. Until 27 January 1967, when they received their present names, the two lower peacetime gallantry decorations and the two higher peacetime distinguished service medals were respectively distinct classes of the Ashoka Chakra and the Vishisht Seva Medal.[1] Post-nominals for peacetime gallantry, peacetime distinguished service and branch distinguished service awards were approved in August 1967.[2]
Gallantry medals
- Wartime gallantry awards
| Ribbon | Name |
|---|---|
 |
Param Vir Chakra (PVC) |
 |
Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) |
 |
Vir Chakra (VrC) |
- Peacetime gallantry awards
| Ribbon | Name |
|---|---|
 |
Ashok Chakra (AC) |
 |
Kirti Chakra (KC) |
 |
Shaurya Chakra (SC) |
Distinguished service medals
- Wartime distinguished service medals
| Ribbon | Name |
|---|---|
 |
Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal (SYSM) |
 |
Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) |
 |
Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) |
- Peacetime distinguished service medals
| Ribbon | Name |
|---|---|
 |
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) |
 |
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) |
 |
Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) |
- Branch distinguished service medals
| Ribbon | Name |
|---|---|
 |
Sena Medal (Army) (SM) |
 |
Nau Sena Medal (Navy) (NM) |
 |
Vayu Sena Medal (Air Force) (VM) |
Service and campaign medals
Long service awards
| Ribbon | Name |
|---|---|
 |
30 Years Long Service Medal |
 |
20 Years Long Service Medal |
 |
9 Years Long Service Medal |
 |
Territorial Army Decoration |
 |
Territorial Army Medal |
 |
Meritorious Service Medal |
 |
Long Service and Good Conduct Medal |
Independence medals
Mention in Dispatches
Mention in Dispatches has been used since 1947, in order to recognize distinguished and meritorious service in operational areas and acts of gallantry which are not of a sufficiently high order to warrant the grant of gallantry awards.[3]
Eligible personnel include all Army, Navy and Air Force personnel including personnel of the Reserve Forces, Territorial Army, Militia and other lawfully constituted Armed Forces, members of the Nursing Service and Civilians working under or with the Armed Forces.[3]
Personnel can be mentioned in dispatches posthumously and multiple awards are also possible. A recipient of a Mention in a Despatch is entitled to wear an emblem, in the form of a lotus leaf on the ribbon of the relevant Campaign Medal. They are also issued with an official certificate from the Ministry of Defence.[3]
Commendation Card
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All three branches of the military issue Commendation Cards, which are badges awarded for "individual acts of gallantry or distinguished service or devotion to duty performed either in operation or non-operational areas. It is a type of gallantry award. The award will be for a specific act of bravery or distinguished service or special service. The award will not be made posthumously."
All three branches issue Commendations Cards at the level of the highest officer (Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff and Chief of the Air Staff). Additionally, Chief of Defence Staff also issues the Commendation Cards. The awards at lower levels seem to vary between services.[4][5][6]
Honorary Ranks
In the Indian Army, honorary ranks and commissions are conferred as a form of formal recognition, granted in exceptional cases, to eminent civilians through honorary commissions in the Territorial Army, the volunteer reserve component of the Indian Army.[7]In the Territorial Army, honorary commissions have also been used to associate nationally prominent figures with the force and to strengthen public identification with military service.[8]
- Notable Territorial Army honorary rank holders
- Kapil Dev – Commissioned as an honorary lieutenant colonel in 2008. His induction was part of the Territorial Army’s effort to associate itself with a nationally prominent sporting figure; later official releases also listed him among the honorary officers of the Territorial Army.[9][10][8]
- Mohanlal – Inducted as an honorary lieutenant colonel in 2009. His commissioning reflected his stature as a major public figure and he was subsequently identified in official Territorial Army material as one of its eminent honorary officers.[11][10]
- M. S. Dhoni – Commissioned as an honorary lieutenant colonel in 2011. The official announcement presented the honour as recognition of his stature and stated that such honorary officers would help strengthen citizen-soldier bonds. The recognition was for his outstanding contribution to sport and his commitment to the Army on various occasions, and his discipline, leadership under adversity, and physical standards that reflected qualities valued by the Army[8]
- Abhinav Bindra – Commissioned as an honorary lieutenant colonel in 2011. His appointment followed his prominence as an Olympic gold medallist and formed part of the same round of honorary Territorial Army recognitions announced by the Ministry of Defence.[8]
- Deepak Rao – Commissioned as an honorary major in 2011. The honour was conferred upon him for being the first Indian to specialize in modern Close Quarter Battle Training (CQB), and for dedicating his life to the Army as an organisation, specifically by providing selfless service in training the armed forces in close quarter battle, Advanced Commando Combat System, and combating terrorism.[8] Deepak Rao was recognized for what has been described as his "yeomen service to the nation" and his long-standing training contribution to the armed forces. Unlike better-known sportspersons such as M. S. Dhoni and Abhinav Bindra, who were nationally prominent figures, he was recognised in official and press accounts for his professional contributions to the modernisation of close-quarters battle training and for providing operational instruction to Indian armed forces personnel [12][8][13][14]
- Neeraj Chopra – Formally conferred the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in 2025. The Ministry of Defence stated that the honour recognised the pride he had brought to the nation and the armed forces through his achievements in international athletics.[15]
Order of wearing
The various decorations and medals are worn in the following order:[16][17][18]
Note that the Police Medals, Fire Services Medals, Correctional Services Medals, Home Guard and Civil Defence Medals, and Tatrakshak Medals are excluded from the above list. The above order of precedence of awards is as per the Indian Army. There are slight variations, especially in the campaign medals, in the order followed by the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.
Wearing medals by the next of kins
An order issued on 11 July 2019 by the Indian Army's "Ceremonial and Welfare Adjutant General's Branch" made it permissible for the close relatives of the deceased military personnel to wear their medals on the right side of chest while attending homage ceremonies at war memorials, cemeteries and funerals. These gallantry or service awards of deceased can be worn by their family members, such as spouses, children, parents, forefathers while wearing civil clothes.[19]
