The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM, lit. 'distinguished service medal') is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces.
| Vishisht Seva Medal | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Type | Military award |
| Awarded for | Distinguished service, to all ranks of the armed forces |
| Country | India |
| Presented by | President of India |
| Established | 26 January 1960 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) |  Sena Medal (Army) Nau Sena Medal (Navy) Vayu Sena Medal (Air Force) |
| Equivalent |  Yudh Seva Medal |
| Next (lower) |  Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak[1] |
From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize exceptional services in an operational environment.[2] Since then the VSM has been restricted to non-operational service.
History
editThe Vishisht Seva Medal was originally instituted as the "Vishisht Seva Medal, Class III" on 26 January 1960. Five other medals were instituted on the same day - the Sainya Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Nao Sena Medal and the Vayu Sena Medal.[3] It was renamed on 27 January 1961, and the badge signed.
Eligibility
editThe award may be granted posthumously and subsequent awards are represented by a bar worn on the ribbon. The award carries with it the right to use "VSM" as post-nominal letters. The medal was originally established as the "Vishisht Seva Medal, Class III".[2] It was renamed to its present name on 27 January 1967. The design of the medal remained unchanged and the change be reflected only in the records.
Medal
editThe medal is a 35-mm circular medal, with a five-pointed star in the centre. It is suspended from a straight-bar suspender with the name on the edge. The state emblem with the name of the decoration in Hindi above - "Vishisht Seva Medal" in Hindi. The ribbon is 32 mm long in yellow, with three 2 mm dark blue stripes dividing it into four equal parts
See also
edit- Yudh Seva Medal - the war-time equivalent
References
edit- ^ "Precedence Of Medals". indianarmy.nic.in/. Indian Army. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ a b Ed Haynes. "Vishisht Seva Medal".
- ^ "DESIGNS OF NEW SERVICE MEDAL AND THEIR DESIGNS" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 29 July 1960. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
Further reading
edit- Indian Air Force: Vishist Seva Medal & Yudh Seva Medal
Bharat-rakshak.com awards database
Pages: 1 to 24, Page 8: Vishist Seva Medal, Cpl V V Audipudi 244047 or Unit: N.A., Award date: 26 January 1978, Announced: 26 January 1978, Details: Citation not available, Reference: N.A.
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