On the eve of the 75th Republic Day, the government announced the annual gallantry/service awards, presenting the medals to 1132 personnel from various agencies, including police, fire service, home guards, and civil defence & correction service.
Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement, “16 gallantry/service medals have been rationalised and merged into the following four medals: President’s Medal for Gallantry (PMG), Medal for Gallantry (GM), President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PMG), and Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM).”
Republic Day 2024 – Gallantry Awards
President’s Medal/Medal for Gallantry
277 gallantry medals have been announced on this Republic Day under the two categories, including 275 Medal for Gallantry and two President’s Medals for Gallantry. Of these 277, nearly 133 personnel are being awarded for gallant actions in Jammu and Kashmir, 119 personnel for actions in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas, and the remaining 25 personnel for actions in other regions.
The two PMGs are for personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF).
Medal for Distinguished Service and Medal for Meritorious Service
Under the Medal for Distinguished Service category, 102 personnel will be awarded, and 753 under the Medal for Meritorious Service. Of the 102 medals, police account for 94, while four each are for fire service and civil defence.
Out of 753 medals, on the other hand, 667 are for police personnel, while the fire service contributes 32, with both civil defence and correctional service getting 27 medals each.
