President Droupadi Murmu honoured Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla with the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award, ‘Ashok Chakra’

At the 77th Republic Day समारोह, President Droupadi Murmu honoured Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla with the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra. Shubhanshu Shukla created history by becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station.

• President Droupadi Murmu has approved gallantry awards for 70 armed forces personnel, including six posthumous awards. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who created history by becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station, has been honoured with the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra.
• Major Arshdeep Singh, Naib Subedar Doleswar Subba Singh and Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair have been honoured with the Kirti Chakra.
• Along with this, 13 Shaurya Chakras, including one posthumous, one Sena Medal (Gallantry) Bar, 44 Sena Medals (Gallantry), including five posthumous, six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry) have also been awarded to armed forces personnel.

Other honours of Captain Shubhanshu Shukla

• The Uttar Pradesh government announced the establishment of a scholarship in Shubhanshu’s name for students studying space technology.
• India Post also issued a postal cover and stamp in honour of Shubhanshu’s space mission.
• City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow, in collaboration with Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), launched a mobile innovation programme named Shubhanshu Shukla Innovation Express.

Shubhanshu Shukla

• Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on a private mission in the year 2025.
• It was led by NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Shubhanshu Shukla served as the mission pilot. He is also an astronaut-designate for India’s human space programme ‘Gaganyaan’.
• He boarded the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center as part of the Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4), a joint venture between NASA and ISRO.
• The Ax-4 mission included astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary and became the first such multi-country collaboration after four decades.
• The astronaut crew spent 14 days on the ISS and during this time conducted scientific experiments, educational activities and commercial work in collaboration with NASA and ISRO.

First Indian to go to space

• It is noteworthy that in the year 1984, Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to go to space under the Soyuz T-11 mission (Intercosmos programme) of the Soviet Union.

Benefits of the Ashok Chakra Award

• A monthly monetary allowance of 12000 rupees (earlier 6000 rupees) is given by the central government. In the case of a posthumous award, this allowance is paid to the widow (until death or remarriage) or to eligible family members.
• The awardee or his widow is given lifetime railway first class/second AC complimentary card passes. These passes are valid for travel in most trains including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi Express.
• Air India (earlier Indian Airlines) gives a 75% discount on normal economy class fare for domestic sectors.
• The monetary allowance received by the awardee is exempt from income tax.

Highest peacetime gallantry award

• Established by the President on 04 January, 1952. Earlier it was divided into three categories - Class-I, Class-II and Class-III. On 27 January, 1967, these were changed to Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra respectively.
• First recipients: Havildar Bachittar Singh and Naik Narbahadur Thapa were awarded the first Ashok Chakra in 1952.
• Famous recipients: Flight Lieutenant Suhas Biswas, Neerja Bhanot (the youngest female recipient).