President Droupadi Murmu presented Distinguished Service Awards to several Indian Army officers at a Defense Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The award recipients included Lt Gen Sunil Puri Goswami, Lt Gen Daljit Singh, Lt Gen Velayudhan Sreehari, Lt Gen Padam Singh Shekhawat Lt Gen PN Ananthanarayanan, Lt Gen Paramjit Singh Minhas and Lt Gen Harminder Singh Kahlon.
The investiture ceremony celebrated outstanding achievements in the Indian Armed Forces. During the ceremony, the Indian Navy also awarded thirty-three gallantry and distinguished service awards. Admiral R Hari Kumar conferred the awards during the Naval Investiture Ceremony held earlier on May 30 for the Eastern Naval Command.
Officers LA (AH) Vineet Kumar and Commodore Nishant Singh (Posthumous) were awarded the Nau Sena Medal (Gallantry), while sixteen Vishisht Seva Medals, two Jeevan Raksha Padaks, and thirteen Nau Sena Medals for Devotion to Duty were also presented.
In addition, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) presented the Lt VK Jain Memorial Gold Medal for pioneering research in the field of Weapon Improvement and Electrical Engineering, as well as the Capt Ravi Dhir Memorial Gold Medal for promoting Flight Safety. The awards ceremony also recognized Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam and INS Tunir with the CNS Trophy for Best Green Practice 2023 in the industrial and non-industrial categories, respectively.
Several Indian naval vessels, including Betwa, Satpura, Sutlej, and Nireekshak, along with Kalvari class submarine INS Karanj, INAS 321 FSS, and INAS 318 received unit citations. In the shore establishment category, INS India, Tanaji and Valsura, and Material Organisation (Visakhapatnam) were also awarded unit citations.
The ceremony celebrates exceptional dedication and service to the country. It is an honor to receive recognition for one’s contributions to the Indian Armed Forces, and these awards serve to inspire others to strive for excellence as well.
Overall, the Defense Investiture Ceremony-II and the Naval Investiture Ceremony held in India recognize the importance of honoring those who have dedicated their lives to the service of their country. These awards demonstrate the Indian government’s appreciation for the sacrifices made by its armed forces and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
