NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JAN 26
Nineteen top Army officers, including Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral G. Ashok Kumar and Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, have been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal on Saturday.
These awards were among the gallantry and other Defence decorations to the armed forces announced by President Ram Nath Kovind on the eve of 71st Republic Day.
Among the army personnel who were conferred Vishist Seva Medal was Commodore R.R. Ayyar of NCC Group Headquarters, Ernakulam.
The President has also approved 53 Ati-Vishisht Seva Medals, 10 Yudh Seva Medals, 123 Vishisht Seva Medals, four Bar to Sena Medals (gallantry), 107 Sena Medals (gallantry), five Nao Sena Medals (gallantry), four Vayu Sena Medals (gallantry), four Bar to Sena Medals (Devotion to duty), 36 Sena Medals (Devotion to duty), eight Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to duty), one Bar to Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to duty) and 13 Vayu Sena Medals (Devotion to duty), according to news agency IANS.
Four Lieutenant Generals have been awarded Uttam Yudh Seva Medals. A total of 32 officers have been awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
Squadron leaders Ninad Mandavgane and Siddharth Vashisht, the pilots of the ill-fated Mi17 V5 helicopter brought down in a case of friendly fire in February last year are among those who have been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal. The four crew members—Flight Engineer Vishal Kumar Pandey, Sergeant Vikrant Sehrawat, Corporals Deepak Pandey and Pankaj Kumar—who were also on board the ill-fated helicopter have been awarded ‘Mention-in-Dispatches’ posthumously.
