The Ashok Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action
or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peace time 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 and may
be awarded posthumously. It replaced the British George Cros.
Subsequent
awards of the Ashoka Chakra are recognized by a bar to the medal ribbon (Flt Lt
Suhas Biswas was the first Indian Air Forceofficer
to be awarded with Ashoka Chakra). It is possible for a recipient to be awarded
the Kirti Chakra or Shaurya Chakra in addition for separate acts of
gallantry.
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 Charkra, 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.
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