Vishisht Seva Medal

Infobox Indian Awards
awardname = Vishisht Seva Medal


type = Non-Gallantry
category = Distinguished Service
instituted = January 26, 1960
awardedby = President of India
description = awarded to all ranks of the armed forces
previousnames = Vishisht Seva Medal, Class III. (till January 27, 1967)
obverse = A 35-mm circular medal, with a five-pointed star in the center. Suspended from a straight-bar suspender. Named on the edge.
reverse = The state emblem with the name of the decoration in Hindi above. "Vishisht Seva Medal" in Hindi.
ribbon = 32 mm, yellow with three 2 mm dark blue stripes. Yellow 6.5 mm, dark blue 2 mm, yellow 6.5 mm, dark blue 2 mm, yellow 6.5 mm, dark blue 2 mm, yellow 6.5 mm.

Vishisht Seva Medal (or VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the Indian armed forces.

The award may be granted posthumously and subsequent awards are represented by a bar worn on the ribbon. The award carries with it the right to use "VSM" as post-nominal letters. The medal was originally established as the "Vishisht Seva Medal, Class III"cite web |url=http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/india/medals/VSevaM.html |title=Vishisht Seva Medal |author=Ed Haynes] . It was renamed to its present name on 27 January 1967. The design of the medal remained unchanged and the change be reflected only in the records.

From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize exceptional services in an operational environment. Since then the VSM has been restricted to non-operational service.

References