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Review key Gallantry & Military Awards: Param Vir Chakra exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest wartime military decoration, instituted on January 26, 1950 with retrospective effect from August 15, 1947, followed in precedence by the Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra.
#2
Peacetime gallantry awards—Ashoka Chakra (equivalent to PVC), Kirti Chakra (equivalent to MVC), and Shaurya Chakra (equivalent to VrC)—were instituted in 1952 and renamed in 1967 for acts of valor away from the battlefield.
#3
The PVC medal was designed by Savitri Khanolkar, featuring four replicas of Indra's Vajra crafted from Rishi Dadhichi's bones flanking the Ashoka Lion Capitol on a circular bronze disc.
#4
Major Somnath Sharma of the 4th Kumaon Regiment was the inaugural recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, awarded posthumously for valor during the Battle of Badgam on November 3, 1947.
#5
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon remains the sole Indian Air Force recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, awarded posthumously for defending Srinagar air base during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.
#6
A total of 21 military personnel have been awarded the Param Vir Chakra to date, of whom 14 were decorated posthumously for supreme sacrifice.
#7
Captain Vikram Batra of the 13 JAK Rifles was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for capturing Point 5140 and Point 4875 during the 1999 Kargil War.
#8
Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey of the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles received the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for clearing enemy bunkers on Khalubar in the Batalik sector in 1999.
#9
Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Subedar Sanjay Kumar are living recipients of the Param Vir Chakra, decorated for gallantry during the 1999 Kargil War.
#10
Company Havildar Major Abdul Hamid of the 4 Grenadiers was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for destroying multiple Pakistani Patton tanks at the Battle of Asal Uttar in 1965.
#11
Major Shaitan Singh of the 13 Kumaon Regiment was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for commanding the defense of Rezang La during the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
#12
Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal of the 17 Poona Horse was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra at age 21 for destroying 10 enemy tanks at the Battle of Basantar in 1971.
#13
Naib Subedar Bana Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra in 1987 for leading Operation Rajiv to capture the highest peak (Bana Top) on the Siachen Glacier at 21,153 feet.
#14
The ribbon of the Param Vir Chakra is plain purple, while the ribbon of the Ashoka Chakra is green with a central vertical orange stripe.
#15
In January 2023, the Prime Minister named the 21 largest unnamed islands of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after the 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest wartime gallantry decoration, instituted on January 26, 1950 with retrospective effect from Independence Day, 1947. Designed by Savitri Khanolkar, the circular bronze medal features four replicas of Indra's thunderbolt flanking the National Emblem suspended on a purple ribbon. It honors exceptional battlefield valor against enemy forces. For bravery away from active combat, India confers peacetime awards: the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra.
In competitive exams like CDS, NDA, and SSC, question setters focus on military awardees and milestones. Remember that Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra for valor at Badgam in 1947. A frequent prelims test trap assumes multiple air force personnel won the medal; Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon remains the sole IAF recipient. For revision, memorize that exactly 21 soldiers have received the honor, and 21 Andaman islands were named after them in 2023.
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