Government hikes allowances double to gallantry awardees

Money can not be the substitute of the selfless service that the Indian armed forces do for our country. At the same time one can not ignore the significance and need of money for leading the life. Although the service of armed personnel can not be paid in terms of money, but at least can serve their purpose to meet basic necessities.

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Realising the need to augment the allowance to the gallantry award winners of the armed forces, the government in a significant step hiked the monetary allowance to them by more than double. All the gallantry award winners of pre and post independent era by now are entitled to receive the revised monetary allowances.

The revised payments have been increased to 100 percent irrespective of ranks and incomes of the recipients.

A Param Vir Chakra awardee, the nation's highest gallantry award for bravery, by now will receive Rs 3000 per month instead of existing Rs 1500. Also the pre-Independence period recipients, who were being paid a mere Rs.50-200 per month, will now be uniformly given Rs.2,000 a month.

The recipients of Ashoka Chakra, the nation's highest Peace time Gallantry award will now be paid Rs 2800. Earlier they were paid Rs 1400.

Similarly, the Mahavir Chakra awardee will get monthly allowance of Rs 2400 instead of Rs 1200; and for the Kirti Chakra recipients, the monthly allowance hike is now Rs 2100, for Vir Chakra-Rs 1700, for Shaurya Chakra- Rs 1500 instead of earlier Rs 1050, Rs 850 and Rs 750 per month respectively.

The government has also decided to grant monthly allowance at augmented rate of Rs 500 to armed personnel awarded with Sena Medal, the Vayu Sena Medal and the Nau Sena Medal. However, in case of these Sena Medals, the revised allowances will be given to only those recipients who have been presented these awards on January 26, 1999 or thereafter.

Interestingly, the brave hearts who have won the Gallantry awards twice will be entitled to receive double the amount, as per the government notification.

Yesterday on May 14, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil conferred six Kirti Chakras and twenty Shaurya Chakras to serving and retired armed forces personnel and civilians for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty at a defence investiture ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan.