Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), has been awarded the Ashoka Chakra, the country’s highest peacetime gallantry honour.
Shukla created history in June last year when he flew to the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission, also becoming only the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 Soyuz mission. His 18-day stay aboard the orbital laboratory came 41 years after Sharma’s landmark flight.
A test pilot with the Indian Air Force, Group Captain Shukla has logged over 2,000 hours of flying time on a wide range of aircraft, including the Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32.
President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday approved gallantry awards for 70 armed forces personnel, including six posthumous honours. The list comprises one Ashoka Chakra, three Kirti Chakra awards, 13 Shaurya Chakra awards, including one posthumous, one Bar to the Sena Medal (gallantry) and 44 Sena Medals (gallantry).
Two women officers of the Indian Navy -- Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A -- were honoured with the Shaurya Chakra award, months after they made history by completing an extraordinary expedition to circumnavigate the globe, covering 21,600 nautical miles (approx 40,000 km) over an eight-month period onboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini.
The Kirti Chakra has been conferred on Major Arshdeep Singh from 1 Assam Rifles, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba from 2 Para (Special Forces) and Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair.
Nair was one of the four astronauts who underwent training for India's first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.
Of the 13 Shaurya Chakra awards, 10 were conferred on Army personnel (one posthumous), two went to the Navy and one to a paramilitary official.
The Shaurya Chakra awardees are Lieutenant Colonel Ghatage Aditya Shrikumar from 21 Para (special forces), Major Anshul Baltoo from 32 Assam Rifles, Major Shivkant Yadav from 5 Para (special forces), Major Vivek Mech from 42 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Leishangthem Deepak Singh from 11 Para (special forces) and Captain Yogendra Singh Thaku from 6 Para (special forces).
Subedar P H Moses from 1 Assam Rifles, Baldev Chand (posthumous) from 4 Rashtriya Rifles, Rifleman Manglem Sang Vaiphei from 3 Assam Rifles and Rifleman Dhruba Jyoti Dutta from 33 Assam Rifles were the other recipients of the Shaurya Chakra from the Army.
The president also approved 301 military decorations to armed forces and other personnel.
These include 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, four Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, 56 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, nine Yudh Seva Medals, two Bar to Sena Medals (Distinguished), 43 Sena Medals (Distinguished), eight Nao Sena Medals (Distinguished), 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Distinguished) and 135 Vishisht Seva Medals.