Introduction to Important awards in India:
These important awards in India are given by authoritative institutions to celebrate the outstanding achievements or performances of individuals in their respective fields. The category of important awards in India comprises many awards covering fields like defense, medicine, cinema, sports, business, etc. Here we will talk about a few of them which are of utmost national pride:
- Gallantry award
- Civilian awards
- National Sports awards
- Dada saheb phalke award
Gallantry Award
The gallantry awards are of the utmost honor bestowed to the bravest of brave personnel of the defense forces. These are awarded to signify the courage shown by the warriors during difficult times.
The distribution of the gallantry awards along with their peculiar details is given below:
- Param Vir Chakra
- Mahavir Chakra
- Vir Chakra
- Ashok Chakra
- Kirti Chakra
- Shaurya Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra, Mahavir Chakra, and Vir chakra were designed after independence. The gallantry awards are given twice a year on republic day and independence day. Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya chakra were designated in 1952. Colonel N. J. Nair is the only soldier to be awarded both the Kirti Chakra and the Ashok Chakra.
How are awardees selected?
The awardees are selected through the following process:
- The process starts with the name of the candidate provided by the unit to which personnel belongs.
- All the nominated candidates’ names are presented to the supreme commanders at the headquarters of the force.
- The selection of the awardees is done on the combined recommendation of the defense forces and the ministry of defense.
- The list of awardees is finalized by the committee.
Important Awards In India – Param Vir Chakra
Word ‘Param’ means ‘Ultimate’ and ‘Vir’ means ‘Brave’ which translates to the Ultimate Brave. It is the supreme gallantry award of our country. It is a wartime award given to persons who have shown extreme courage during wartime i.e. in presence of an enemy. The Param Vir chakra was designed by Savitri Khanolkar and the first recipient of the award was Major Somnath Sharma.
Features of Param Vir Chakra:
- It is a circular bronze disc of 34.9 mm in diameter.
- In the center of the front side of the award, the National Emblem of India is drawn. It is surrounded by vajra i.e. the weapon of Lord Indra.
- The motifs on the award represent the sacrifice of rishi Dadhich.
- Lotus flower is present on the reverse side of the award.
- The word ‘Param Vir Chakra’ is written in two languages i.e. Hindi and English.
- A ribbon of purple color holds the award.
Important Awards In India – Mahavir Chakra
This is the second-highest gallantry award known as the great warrior medal. It is awarded for valor in the presence of an enemy on the land, sea, or in the air.
Features of Mahavir Chakra
- It is circular in shape.
- Silver is the main component of the award.
- On the front side, a five-pointed star is inscribed on a circular center-piece with the emblem of India.
- On the backside, two lotus flowers are present on which the word ‘Mahavir Chakra’ is written.
- The words are written in two languages i.e. Hindi and English.
Important Awards In India – Vir Chakra
This is the third-highest gallantry award. It is awarded for courage in the presence of an enemy on the battlefield.
Features of Vir Chakra
- It is circular in shape.
- Silver is the main component of the award.
- On the front side, a five-pointed star is inscribed on a circular center-piece with the emblem of India.
- On the backside, two lotus flowers are present on which the word ‘Vir Chakra’ is written.
- The words are written in two languages i.e. Hindi and English.
Important Awards In India – Ashok Chakra
This is the highest peacetime gallantry award meaning ‘wheel of time’. It is awarded for courage away from the field or in absence of an enemy. The youngest recipient of the award was Ms. Neerja Bhanot. She was awarded the Ashok Chakra posthumously. The first awardee of this award was Flt. Lt. Suhas Biswas, an Indian Air Force officer.
Features of Ashok Chakra
- A wheel representing 24 spokes of the Ashok chakra.
- It is circular in shape.
- Each spoke in the wheel represents the 24 hours of the day.
- And the twenty-four principles like love, courage, sacrifice are also represented by these spokes.
Important Awards In India – Kirti Chakra
It is equivalent to Mahavir chakra but is a peacetime gallantry award. It can be awarded to both civilians or military officials living or posthumously. The front end of the medal possesses a replica of Ashoka Chakra in the center, surrounded by a lotus wreath. On the reverse side, the words KIRTI CHAKRA are written both in Hindi and English both separated by two lotus flowers
Features of Kirti Chakra
- It is circular in shape
- It is made of standard silver,
- one and three-eight inches in diameter.
- It possesses a ribbon of 30 mm, dark green with two 2 mm saffron stripes. Dark green 8.5 mm, saffron 2 mm, dark green 9 mm, saffron 2 mm, dark green 8.5 mm.
Important Awards In India – Shaurya Chakra
It is the third-highest peacetime gallantry award. It can be awarded to civilians as well as Indian defense forces personnel.
Features of Shaurya Chakra
- It is circular in shape
- It is made up of bronze of 1-3/8 inches in diameter.
- A ribbon of green color divided into four equal parts by three orange vertical lines.
The table given below is the list of gallantry awardees for the year 2020 along with their unit:
Civilian Awards
These are the awards given to the people for their excellent performances and achievements in their respective fields. These awards are presented by the supreme authority of the county i.e. the President of India. On the eve of republic day, these awards are presented to be the winners. The civilian awards were introduced in the year 1954.
The following is the civilian awards:
- Bharat Ratna
- Padma Vibhushan
- Padma Bhushan
- Padma Shri
Important Awards In India – Bharat Ratna
This is the highest civilian award in the country. It was introduced on 2nd January 1954. It can be given to any citizen of the country irrespective of caste, race, position, occupation, or gender. The fields which are included in the list for the Bharat Ratna are Science, literature, arts, public services, and Sports. The first awardee of the Bharat Ratna was Dr. C V Raman in 1954.
Features of Bharat Ratna:
- It is of a Peepal leaf
- Made up of bronze
- It has a Sun emblem in the middle of the leaf.
- The words in the Bharat Ratna are written in Devanagari script.
- Also, possess the state emblem and motto.
Latest Awardee
The latest recipients of Bharat Ratna were Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh (Posthumously), and Bhupen Hazarika (Posthumously) in 2019.
Important Awards In India – Padma Vibhushan
It is the second-highest civilian award in the country. The fields included for the awards are Arts, Science, Literature and Public Services.
Features of the award:
- It is circular in shape.
- Made up of bronze.
- A lotus flower is inscribed in the center of the circle.
- Above and below lotus flowers the Padma and Vibhushan words are written respectively.
Important Awards In India – Padma Bhushan
It is the third-highest civilian award in the country. The government servants including doctors and scientists except for employees of public sector undertakings are included in these awards. The awardees are selected by the Padma awards committee constituted by the Prime minister of India. The medals are produced by the Alipore Mint, Kolkata. All the things are inscribed in gold.
Important Awards In India – Padma Shri
It is the fourth highest civilian award. The citizens for their achievements in any field including the service rendered by the Government employees are awarded these awards.
Features of the award:
- A geometric pattern on the circle is drawn on the award.
- The words “Padma” and “Shri” are written above and below the lotus flower in the center.
- The stainless steel is used for embossing
- Bronze is used for the peripheral region.
Important Awards In India – National Sports awards
The seven sports awards are incorporated in the National Sports Awards. These are awarded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The current sports minister is Kiren Rijiju. They are presented to the sportspersons with outstanding performances in their sports by the President of India. They are usually awarded on the National Sports day i.e. 29th August. Till now, a total of 1259 individuals and organizations have been awarded the national sports awards.
Following are the awards under the national sports awards:
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy:
It was incorporated in 1956–1957. Awarded to the top performer in the inter-university tournaments. It is speculated over the period of last one year.
Arjuna Award:
It was instituted in the year 1961. It is awarded to the sportspersons for “consistent outstanding performance” speculated over a period of the last four years. A cash prize of ₹15 lakh is awarded.
Dronacharya Award:
It is awarded to the best coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international events. It was instituted in 1985 with a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna:
It started in the year 1991-92. It is given to sportspersons for “most outstanding performance by a sportsperson” over the period of the last four years. Prize money of ₹25 lakhs is awarded along with the medal
Dhyan Chand Award:
It is a lifetime achievement award for the contribution towards sports development. It was instituted in 2002 with a cash prize of ₹10 lakh.
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar:
It was instituted in the year 2009. It is given to both private and public organizations and individuals for their visible role in the area of sports development and promotion over the period of the last three years.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award:
It is the highest adventure sports honor of the country. Prize money of ₹5 lakhs is awarded. It was first awarded in 1994. A total of 139 candidates have been awarded it to date.
Important Awards In India – Dada saheb phalke award
The award is named after the ‘Father of the Indian Cinema’. He made the first Hindi full-length feature film i.e. Raja Harishchandra. It is the highest award of the Indian cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The candidates are honored for their outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. The winners are awarded a golden lotus medal, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹1,000,000. The first recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke award was actress Devika Rani. The latest awardee for the Dada Saheb Phalke award is actor Amitabh Bachchan 2019.
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