President Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Shaurya Chakra to an army major in New Delhi on March 23, 2013.
Indian soldiers who win awards for gallantry and exemplary service get more than medals—they get various concessions from central government departments and extra pension. But the most substantive awards come from the states these soldiers hail from, and this is where a great variance is evident, according to Factly.in, a data-journalism portal. Let’s first understand the awards: There are two categories of awards given to men in uniform:- Gallantry awards
- Non-gallantry awards
- For gallantry in the face of the enemy and
- For gallantry other than in the face of the enemy.
- Param Vir Chakra (PVC) or “Bravest of the brave” award: India’s highest military decoration, awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice. Replaced the colonial Victoria Cross.
- Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) or “Great hero” award: Second-highest decoration, awarded for conspicuous gallantry.
- Vir Chakra (VrC): For acts of battlefield bravery.
- Sena, Nao Sena and Vayu Sena Medal (SM): Awarded for “individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage”.
- Mention in Dispatches: For acts of gallantry, distinguished or meritorious service, but of an order below the main gallantry awards.
- Chiefs of Staff Commendation Card: For acts of gallantry or devotion to duty in non-battlefield areas and of a lower order than the main gallantry awards.
- Ashoka Chakra (AC): Peacetime equivalent of the PVC, for “most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice”. For soldiers or civilians.
- Kirti Chakra (KC): For valour and courage away from the battlefield. Peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra.
- Shaurya Chakra (SC): Peacetime equivalent of the Vir Chakra.
Source: Factly.in
Various central government departments extend concessions/incentives to gallantry award winners:| Concessions/ Incentives For Gallantry Award Winners | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Railways ministry— First Class/ AC 2 tier Compli- mentary Pass to Awardee along with a Compan- ion | Indian Airlines— 75% Concess- ion On Economy Fare | MTNL— No Rental, No Install- ation Charges, No Registr- ation Charges | Finance ministry— Award Amount & Pension Amount exemp- ted from Income Tax | Road transport ministry— Exempt- ion from paying Toll Tax |
| Param Vir Chakra | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Maha Vir Chakra | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Vir Chakra | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Ashoka Chakra | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Kirti Chakra | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Sena, Nau Sena & Vayu Sena Medal | ✔ | ||||
| Shaurya Chakra | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Source: Factly.in Cash Awards By State Governments Various state governments also extend cash and other incentives to award winners from their states. The state governments extend awards in three forms:
- Cash
- Cash in lieu of Land (CIL); and
- Annuity
Source: Factly.in
Source: Factly.in Similarly, decorated soldiers are given cash by state governments. For instance, the cash amount given by the government of Andhra Pradesh is:
Source: Factly.in Only a few states extend CIL and annuity to decorated soldiers. (Dubbudu has been working on issues related to the Right to Information for a decade. He is a data/information enthusiast & is passionate about governance/policy issues. Factly.in is dedicated to making public data meaningful.) ___________________________________________________________________ “Liked this story? Indiaspend.com is a non-profit, and we depend on readers like you to drive our public-interest journalism efforts. Donate Rs 500; Rs 1,000, Rs 2,000.”