Govt doubles monetary grants to gallantry award winners

New Delhi, May 14 (UNI) The Government today announced substantial increase in the monetary allowance to those armed forces personnel who had won the laurels in the line of duty, a significant step that would bring cheers to the gallantry award winners of both pre and post-independence period.

The proposal for the increase, which had been 100 per cent or more in all the cases, was initiated at the direction of Defence Minister A K Antony.

As per the new provisions, the monetary allowance would be enhanced to all the recipients irrespective of rank and income of the pre-independence gallantry decorations.

For Distinguished Service Order/Each Bar/Indian Order of Merit/Each Bar/Indian Distinguished Service Medal/Each Bar, the enhancement would be from Rs 50 and Rs 200 to Rs 2000.

For Distinguished Service Cross/Each Bar/Military Cross/ Each Bar/Distinguished Flying Cross/Each Bar/Distinguished Service Medal/Each Bar/Military Medal/Each Bar/Distinguished Flying Medal/Each Bar, the enhancement would be from Rs 50 and Rs 200 to Rs 1400.

Similarly the payment of monetary allowance, irrespective of rank and income of the post-independence gallantry awards have also been significantly increased.

For Param Vir Chakra, the monetary allowance has been enhanced from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000, for Ashok Chakra from Rs 1400 to Rs 2800, for Mahavir Chakra from Rs 1200 to Rs 2400, for Kirti Chakra from Rs 1050 to Rs 2100, for Vir Chakra from Rs 850 to Rs 1700, and for Shaurya Chakra from Rs 750 to Rs 1500.

Each Bar to the decoration would carry the same amount of monetary allowance as admissible to the original award.

The Government also decided to grant monetary allowance at enhanced rate of Rs 500 per month to the Sena/Nao Sena/ Vayu Sena Medal awardees, where these have been given for gallantry, a defence spokesman said.

This would be payable to those who have been given these awards on January 26, 1999, or thereafter, he added.

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