In a solemn and dignified ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Smt Droupadi Murmu honored the remarkable contributions of personnel from the Indian Armed Forces, the Indian Coast Guard, and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) by conferring a total of 92 Distinguished Service Decorations during the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2025 (Phase-II). The prestigious awards included 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals (PVSM), 5 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals (UYSM), and 57 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals (AVSM), recognizing the exemplary dedication, leadership, and service these individuals have demonstrated in safeguarding the nation.
The Param Vishisht Seva Medal stands as India’s highest peacetime military honor, awarded for service of exceptional quality to officers across all ranks and services. Instituted in 1960 and renamed in 1967, the PVSM symbolizes the unwavering dedication of the armed forces to the country.
The Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, given for distinguished service during periods of war or conflict, and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, which acknowledges high-performance in peacetime roles, further highlight the varied contributions made by military personnel.
The ceremony occurs against a backdrop of increasing national focus on India’s defense modernization and preparedness. The Union Budget for 2024–25 allocated a significant ₹6.21 lakh crore to the Ministry of Defence, emphasizing the government’s commitment to enhancing operational capabilities. In light of ongoing tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, particularly in the Depsang Plains, the armed forces have been pivotal in infrastructure development, enhanced surveillance, and winter deployments in high-altitude regions.
The ceremony was attended by several senior government and military officials, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who commended the awardees for their outstanding service across diverse roles, from combat to logistics, engineering, and medical support. This reflects the multifaceted contributions of India’s military personnel in defending national interests.
A detailed list of the awardees highlights exemplary figures from various branches of the military:
### Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM)
1. Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar (Army)
2. Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth (Army)
3. Lt Gen Ram Chander Tiwari (Army)
4. Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta (Army)
5. Lt Gen Devendra Sharma (Army)
6. Lt Gen Dinesh Singh Rana (Army)
7. Lt Gen Pratik Sharma (Army)
8. Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Navy)
9. Vice Admiral Rajesh Sudhakar Pendharkar (Navy)
10. Vice Admiral Suraj Berry (Navy)
11. Vice Admiral Srinivas Vennam (Navy)
12. Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari (Air Force)
13. Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan (Air Force)
14. Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor (Air Force)
15. Lt Gen Karanbir Singh Brar (Army)
16. Lt Gen Adosh Kumar (Army)
17. Lt Gen Padam Singh Shekhawat (Army)
18. Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla (Army)
19. Lt Gen Vivek Kashyap (Army)
20. Lt Gen VM Bhuvana Krishnan (Army)
21. Lt Gen Vineet Gaur (Army)
22. Lt Gen Raghavachari Santhana Raman (Army)
23. Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan (Army)
24. Lt Gen Shankar Narayan (Army)
25. Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan (Retd) (Air Force)
26. Lt Gen Paramjit Singh Minhas (Retd) (Army)
27. Lt Gen Preet Mohindera Singh (Retd) (Army)
28. Air Marshal Chakalayil R Mohan (Retd) (Air Force)
29. Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar Anand (Retd) (Air Force)
30. Brig Sanjay Kumar Mishra (Army)
### Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM)
1. Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai (Army)
2. Lt Gen Zubin A Minwalla (Army)
3. Lt Gen Hitesh Bhalla (Army)
4. Air Marshal Sujeet Pushpakar Dharkar (Retd) (Air Force)
5. Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha (Retd) (Air Force)
### Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM)
1. Lt Gen Pushpendra Pal Singh (Army)
2. Lt Gen Sandeep Jain (Army)
3. Lt Gen Vijay Bhaskaran Nair (Army)
4. Lt Gen Rajesh Pushkar (Army)
5. Lt Gen Rahul Raghavendra Singh (Army)
6. Lt Gen Sadhna S Nair (Army)
7. Lt Gen Suresh Chandra Tandi (Army)
8. Lt Gen Shrinjay Pratap Singh (Army)
9. Lt Gen Rajagopal C Srikanth (Army)
10. Lt Gen Mukesh Chadha (Army)
11. Lt Gen Rajiv Kumar (Army)
12. Lt Gen Bhavnish Kumar (Army)
13. Lt Gen Vineet Sharma (Army)
14. Lt Gen Divya Gaurav Misra (Army)
15. Lt Gen Shivinder Singh (Army)
16. Lt Gen Devinder Pal Singh (Army)
17. Vice Admiral Lochan Singh Pathania (Navy)
18. Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar (Navy)
19. Vice Admiral CR Praveen Nair (Navy)
20. Air Marshal V Rajasekhar (Air Force)
21. Air Marshal MS Sridhar (Air Force)
22. Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia (Air Force)
23. Air Marshal PV Shivanand (Air Force)
24. DG Paramesh Sivamani (ICG)
25. Lt Gen Anil Kumar Samantara (Retd) (Army)
26. Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Singh (Retd) (Army)
27. Air Marshal Rajesh Vaidya (Retd) (Air Force)
28. Maj Gen Rohit Sawhney (Army)
29. Maj Gen Harsh Chhibber (Army)
30. Maj Gen Abhinaya Rai (Army)
31. Maj Gen M Khalid Zaki (Army)
32. Maj Gen Rajwant Singh (Army)
33. Maj Gen Manish Luthra (Army)
34. Maj Gen Rajesh Sethi (Army)
35. Maj Gen Neeraj Shukla (Army)
36. Maj Gen Balbir Singh (Army)
37. Maj Gen Madanraj Pande (Army)
38. Maj Gen Akaash Johar (Army)
39. Maj Gen Sameer Srivastava (Army)
40. Maj Gen Balachandran Nambiar (Army)
41. Rear Admiral Sandeep Mehta (Navy)
42. Rear Admiral Manish Sharma (Navy)
43. Rear Admiral Manish Chadha (Navy)
44. Rear Admiral Janak Bevli (Navy)
45. Air Vice Marshal Suhas P Bhandare (Air Force)
46. Air Vice Marshal Ajay Kumar Pan (Air Force)
47. Air Vice Marshal V Srinivas Choudary (Air Force)
48. Air Vice Marshal Venkat T Mare (Air Force)
49. Air Vice Marshal Manish Sahdev (Air Force)
50. Air Vice Marshal Anand Sondhi (Air Force)
51. Maj Gen Mukesh Aggarwal (Retd) (Army)
52. Maj Gen Abhay Dayal (Retd) (Army)
53. Rear Admiral Cyril Thomas (Retd) (Navy)
54. Air Vice Marshal Niraj Nainwal (Retd) (Air Force)
55. Air Vice Marshal PTK Sreekumar (Retd) (Air Force)
56. Air Vice Marshal RV Ramkishore (Retd) (Air Force)
57. ADGBR George P Cherian (Retd) (BRO)
The event underscored the enduring tradition of recognizing excellence and dedication within India’s defense forces, serving to celebrate those whose leadership and professionalism contribute to strengthening the nation’s defense posture.
