Indian Army chief-designate conferred medal for distinguished service

New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Indian Army's chief-designate and present Eastern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh and vice chief Lt. Gen. Shri Krishna Singh were among senior armed forces officers conferred medals for distinguished service of the most exceptional order by President Pratibha Patil here Tuesday.

These two senior army officers received the Param Visisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, and Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju.

Patil also honoured 13 other senior officers -- Lt. Gen. S.R. Ghosh, the Western Army commander, Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik, the Northern Army commander, Lt. Gen. K. Surendranath, the Army Training Command chief, Lt. Gen. N.C. Marwah, the Andaman and Nicobar fortress commander, Lt. Gen. A.K. Singh, the Southern Army commander, Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters chief, Air Marshal D.C. Kumaria, the Western Air commander, and Air Marshal A.K. Gogoi, the South Western Air Commander, with the PVSM.

Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, Indian Army chief Gen. V.K. Singh and Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne were also present on the occasion.

These apart, the President also honoured Capt. Ashutosh Kumar and Lieutenant Colonel Kamaldeep Singh, both from Rajputana Rifles, with Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime gallantry medals.

She also awarded three bar to Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) and 18 AVSMs, apart from 16 Shaurya Chakra, the third highest medal for gallantry during peacetime.