Vir Chakra

Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra and its ribbon, the third highest military decoration of India
Type	Military medal
Awarded for	Acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land or at sea or in the air.
Country	Republic of India
Presented by	Republic of India
Eligibility	Military Personnel Only
Post-nominals	VrC
Status	Currently Awarded
First award	1947
Final award	15th August, 2025
Total awarded posthumously	362
Total recipients	1335 (As of 2023)
Precedence
Next (higher)	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Equivalent	Shaurya Chakra
Next (lower)	Yudh Seva Medal

The Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋiːɾa tʃakɾa, lit. 'Wheel of Bravery') is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of gallantry on the battlefield, on land or in the air or at sea.

It is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and comes after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.

Origin

It was established by the President of India on 26 January 1950 (with effect from 15 August 1947). The statutes were amended on 12 January 1952 to readjust the order of wearing as new decorations were established.

It replaced the British Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), Military Cross (MC) and Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Award of the decoration carries with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation [note the care to distinguish this abbreviation from that for the Victoria Cross (V.C.)

Appearance

The medal is 1+3⁄8inch circular silver medal. A five pointed star, with the chakra in the centre, and, on this, the domed gilded state emblem. The decoration is named on the rim and suspended from a swiveling straight-bar suspender. The decoration is almost always named and dated on the edge. Around a plain centre, two legends are separated by lotus flowers; with Vir Chakra in Hindi above and in English below. The ribbon is 32 mm, half dark blue and half orange-saffron; dark blue 16 mm, saffron 16 mm.

The award carries with it a cash allowance and, in some cases, a lump sum cash award. This has been a rather controversial issue throughout the life of the decoration. From 1 February 1999, the central government set a monthly stipend of Rs. 850(Now enhanced to Rs. 7000/- pm from 2017) for recipients of the award. In addition, many states have established individual pension rewards for the recipients of the decoration.

List of Vir Chakra recipients

A total of 1327 personnel received Vir Chakra. Some of the notable Vir Chakra awardees include:

Allowances and Benefits provided

Monetary allowance of ₹ 7,000 per month (enhanced from ₹ 3500 per month in 2017) is sanctioned to recipients irrespective of rank and income. The allowance is admissible to the recipient and upon their death is carried forward to the lawfully married widow. Each and extra bar to the decoration will carry the same amount as admissible to the original award.

Exempt from deduction of Income Tax According to sub-clause (i) of clause (18) of Section 10 of the Income-Tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961) of 07.02.2014 any Income by way of pension received by an individual who has been in the service of the Central Government or State Government and recipient of Chakra series medal is Exempt from deduction of Income Tax after satisfying himself about the veracity of the claim.

Free Train travel facility Indian Railways issues complementary Railway passes enabling the recipients and their companion to travel from any railway station to any railway station. As mentioned in 18/2014 E(W)2008/PS5-6/8 of 07.02.2014 they are entitled to life long free travel in 1st Ac/ Executive class for self and a companion over all Indian railway trains (except Kolkata metro) inclusive of Rajadhani, Shatabthi and Durunto trains.

Exempted from payment of Toll fee Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) vide National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 has notified that chakra series gallantry medal recipients are exempted from payment of user fee even if recipient is traveling in personal vehicle, if such awardee produces ID card issued and authenticated by competent authority.

State specific grants such as Cash in lieu of land, land, or a one time lump sum grant or monthly annuity are announced as a reward by state governments to the recipients based on their domicile. These vary from ₹1 crore (in Andhra Pradesh) to ₹5 to ₹25 lakhs in smaller states.

Notes

References

Further reading

• Cardozo, Ian (2003). Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle. New Delhi: Roli Books. ISBN 978-81-7436-262-9.

External links

• Vir Chakra awardees, TWDI