Lt-Gen Joshi presents awards to Northern Command officers, men

Our Correspondent

Udhampur, February 27

Kargil war hero Lieutenant-General Yogesh Kumar Joshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, presented the gallantry as well as Distinguished Service awards to officers, junior commissioned officers, soldiers and the next of kin of the martyrs at a solemn investiture ceremony in Udhampur on Thursday.

During the ceremony, the Northern Command chief presented five Bar to Sena Medals (gallantry) and 73 Sena Medals (gallantry) to the brave soldiers. Eight of the awardees were given the award posthumously. The awards were given to the next of their kin.

Lt-Gen Joshi also presented a Yudh Seva Medal, two Sena Medals (distinguished) and nine Vishisht Seva Medals for selfless service to the nation. He also presented Unit Appreciation to 18 units for their overall outstanding performance in the command theatre in 2019.

The ceremony was a solemn occasion to honour the acts of valour and selfless dedication to duty by individual soldiers and units. Speaking on the occasion, the GOC-in-C commended all ranks of the Northern Command for their dedication and devotion to duty in the highest traditions of the Army. He congratulated those who were decorated for bravery. He also urged all ranks, ex-servicemen, civilians and their families to rededicate themselves to the cause of the nation.

During the event, regional president, Army Wives Welfare Association, Northern Command, Ina Joshi also interacted with the next of kin of the posthumous awardees, reassuring them of the unstinted organisational support.

Subedar Major Vikrant Tete, who received the Sena Medal, said: “I got the award for the operation we launched in Budgam district of central Kashmir. Working in Kashmir is a challenging task for the forces .”