Param Vir Chakra refers to the highest award that can be awarded to any military personnel. It is given due to great performance during the time of war. It is also known as the “wheel of the ultimate bravery” and is awarded to the military men with utmost bravery during the time of war. 

To date, Param Vir Chakra has been awarded only 21 times. Out of the 21 medals, 20 medals were awarded to the Indian army and 1 medal was provided to the air force. The 1st person who received Param Vir Chakra for his act of valor is Major Somnath Sharma on 3rd November 1947. 

Design of Param Vir Chakra

Param Vir Chakra can also be translated as “wheel of ultimate bravery”. 

• The medal’s shape is a circle and is made up of bronze with a diameter of 35 millimeters. 
• In the center of the medal, the National Emblem of India is placed which is surrounded by 4 Vajra, the weapon of India, the ancient Vedic king of the gods. 
• The motif placed gives us a symbol of the sacrifice made by Rishi Dadhichi, who for defeating Vritra gave up his bones to the god. 
• The medal is held by a straight swiveling suspension bar. 
• On the backside of the medal, two legends are placed and they are separated by Lotus Flower. 
• Param Vir Chakra which is written on the medal is written in 2 languages which are Hindi and English.
• A ribbon that is purple and 32 millimeters long holds the medal. 

Allowances and Awards for the Awardees

The Param Vir Chakra also has a cash allowance attached to it. After the death of the person who has received the award, a pension is given to his wife until her death or remarriage. If the person who is awarded is unmarried, then the pension should be given to his parents. They are paid a stipend of 20k along with their regular pay. They become free from income tax on the amount that is awarded to them and the pension. 

Allowances given by different state governments are:

• 20 million cash award is given by Haryana.
• 10 million cash award is given by Telangana.
• 3 million cash award is given by Punjab.
• 5 million Cash award is given by Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. 
• 2 million cash award is given by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
• 5 million Cash award is given by Tamil Nadu and Mizoram. 
• 1 million cash award is given by Jharkhand, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.
• 22,500 cash award is given by Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Odisha, Sikkim, and West Bengal. 

Awardees of the Award

There have been 21 awardees of the award that has been given the award for their act of valor. Some of the members are as follows:

• Somnath Sharma who was awarded on 3rd November 1947
• Jadunath Singh was awarded on 6th February 1948
• Piru Singh was awarded on 17th July 1948
• Joginder Singh was awarded on 23rd October 1962
• Sanjay Kumar who was awarded on 5th July 1999
• Vikram Batra who was awarded on 7th July 1999

Conclusion

Param Vir Chakra is referred to as the highest military award for any military personnel. It comes under the Gallantry award of India. The person receiving the Param Vir Chakra also gets many allowances and awards for his act of valor or bravery. They are given a stipend of 20k monthly along with the regular salary that they get. They are not even liable to pay any kind of tax on the amount that has been awarded to them. This award is only for military men and not for normal people, receiving this award is an achievement in itself.