Ashoka Chakra gallantry award
Why in news?
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer and astronaut, was recently awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry honor.
Achievements of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla
- First Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS) under the Axiom-4 mission in 2025.
- Displayed exceptional courage, swift decision-making, and commitment to duty during the mission.
- Conducted pioneering experiments, including agricultural trials in space (cultivating fenugreek and mung beans).
Significance: Recognized as a landmark in India’s growing strategic role in the space sector.
About Ashoka Chakra gallantry award
The Ashoka Chakra is India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, given for acts of extraordinary bravery, valor, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.
Key facts
- Established: 1952
- Nature: India’s highest peacetime military decoration
- Eligibility:
- Officers of the Armed Forces, Territorial Army, militia, and other lawfully constituted forces
- Members of nursing services of the Armed Forces
- Civilians, police, paramilitary forces, and Railway Protection Force
- Awarded For:
- Most conspicuous bravery
- Acts of daring or pre-eminent valor
- Self-sacrifice in non-combat situations
- Equivalent: Param Vir Chakra (wartime)
- Post-nominal letters: AC
Historical Context
- First Recipients (1952): Havildar Bachittar Singh and Naik Narbahadur Thapa for bravery during Operation Polo in Hyderabad.
- Total Awardees (1952–2026): 87 recipients, including 68 posthumous honors.
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