The General Service Medal 1947 is a military service medal of
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, established by the
President of India
The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
on 5 June 1950. It was awarded for service in
Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, up through service in the
Mizo Hills. Eligible operations are denoted by a
clasp for each operation.
Clasps
The General Service Medal is awarded with a clasp designating the qualifying service of the recipient. There are seven total clasps for the medal.
;Jammu and Kashmir 1947-48: For service in Jammu and Kashmir between 27 October 1947 and 1 January 1949 for those who took part in combat or served an aggregate of 180 days with units or formations operating in or located in specific operational or concessional areas.
;Overseas Korea 1950–53: For operational service rendered by personnel who served as part of the 60th (Parachute) Field Ambulance unit in Korea between 22 November 1950 and 8 July 1953.
;Nagaland: For 180 days service as part of a detachment, unit, or formation in one of the following operations or areas of operation from 27 April 1955:
*OPG OLI from 27 April 1955 to 1 April 1956.
*Operating during or located under operational command of
GOC Assam,
23rd Infantry Division, Operation ORCHID, GOC Nagaland,
8th Mountain Division, or GOC 101 Communication Zone Area.
*For an aggregate of 90 days of service on the active strength of a detachment, unit, or formation operating in the Naga hills and
Tuensang
Tuensang () is a town located in the northeastern part of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the headquarters of the Tuensang District and has a population of 36,774. The town was founded in 1947 for the purpose of administrating the erstwhile ...
area on temporary duty from 27 April 1955 or thereafter.
;Goa 1961: For personnel who were part of or attached to formations or units within the geographical limits of the territories of
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
,
Daman, and Diu and were involved in the operations, for no less than 48 hours between 18–22 December 1961.
;Ladakh 1962: For personnel who rendered 15 days service with units or formations within the geographical limits of
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
between 20 October 1962 and 21 November 1962.
;NEFA 1962: For service in certain specified areas of
North-East Frontier Agency
The North–East Frontier Agency (NEFA), originally known as the North-East Frontier Tracts (NEFT), was one of the political divisions in British India, and later the Republic of India until 20 January 1972, when it became the Union territory, U ...
and
Assam
Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
between 21 September 1962 and 21 November 1962.
;Mizo Hills: For personnel who served an aggregate of 180 days as part of a detachment, unit, or formation located within or operated in the Mizo Hills district from 28 February 1966. Those who were temporarily inducted for specific operations need only have served 90 days.
Awards of the Nagaland and Mizo Hills clasps were officially discontinued on 8 May 1975. Recipients of either clasp from 1 January 1968 onwards were to wear them with the ribbon of the
Samanya Seva Medal instead of the ribbon of the General Service Medal.
Appearance
The medal is circular, made of
cupro-nickel
Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. ( Monel is a ...
. It hangs from a claw and bar suspension and with clasps attached above the bar. The
obverse
The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...
of the medal depicts the Bhavani Talwar, the sword of
Shivaji I
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...
, surrounded by a halo. The reverse bears a lotus flower bud in the center with the inscription ''GENERAL SERVICE INDIA'' around the edge.
[
The ribbon of the medal in 31 mm wide, is red with five equidistant 1 mm dark green stripes.]
See also
* Indian military decorations
References
{{reflist
External links
General Service Medal 1947Awards Kashmir conflict 1947–1948
Military awards and decorations of India