The Videsh Seva Medal is a service medal of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by ...

. It is presented to all ranks of the three services for services rendered outside India. It was instituted on 26 January 1960. It can also be awarded posthumously.

History

The Videsh Seva Medal was instituted on 26 January 1960 by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

, with the approval of the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) 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, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...

. Five other medals were instituted on the same day - the Vishisht Seva Medal series (Class I, Class II, Class III), the

Sainya Seva Medal The Sainya Seva Medal is a medal of the Indian Armed Forces. The medal is awarded in recognition of non-operational service under conditions of hardship and severe climate in specified areas. History The Sainya Seva Medal was instituted on 26 Jan ...

Sena Medal The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for s ...

Nao Sena Medal Nau Sena Medal (also spelt ''Nao Sena Medal'', lit. ''Navy Medal'') is a gallantry award for servicemen in the Indian Navy. History The Nao Sena Medal was instituted on 26 January 1960 by the Government of India, with the approval of the Presid ...

and the

Vayu Sena Medal The Vayu Sena Medal is a military decoration, usually awarded in peacetime for a job well done in the Indian Air Force. However, it has been granted during times of conflict for acts of gallantry in the face of enemy, though not in the same numb ...

. At the time of institution, it was to be awarded for duties outside India on: * the UN emergency Force or on loan to the Government of Egypt * the staff of the Haile Selassie Military Academy in Ethiopia * loan to the Government of Ghana * the staff of the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) * loan to the Indonesian Government * loan to the Iraqi Government * the staff of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission or the Indian Custodian Force in Korea * the staff of the

United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon The United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon (UNOGIL) was established by United Nations through Security Council Resolution 128 on 11 June 1958 in response to the 1958 Lebanon crisis. The group was deployed between June and December 1958 in a ...

* the effective strength of a unit or formation employed on the construction of the Tribhuvan Rajpath and airfields in Nepal or on the work of provision of signal communication during the Nepalese elections or on the effective strength of the Indian Military Training Mission or the Indian Military Training Advisory Group in Nepal or on survey or transport support roles over Nepal.

Eligibility

All ranks of the three services –

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

and

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

, along with the Territorial Army, embodied Auxiliary and Reserve Forces or any other lawfully constituted Armed Forces are eligible for the grant of the award. Nursing Officers and other members of Nursing Services are also eligible. Persons with regular staff of diplomatic mission do not fall within purview of the medal. Posthumous awards also may be made.

Medal

The medal is circular in shape and is made of

cupronickel Cupronickel or copper-nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper that contains nickel and strengthening elements, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. (Monel is a nickel-copper alloy that contains a minimu ...

. It is 35 mm in diameter, fitted to a plain horizontal bar with standard fitting. It shall have embossed on the obverse the State Emblem and the inscription below it along the rim. On its reverse, it shall have a warship of ancient times. The ribbon is 32 mm in width and is in

cobalt blue Cobalt blue is a blue pigment made by sintering cobalt(II) oxide with aluminum(III) oxide (alumina) at 1200 °C. Chemically, cobalt blue pigment is cobalt(II) oxide-aluminium oxide, or cobalt(II) aluminate, CoAl2O4. Cobalt blue is lighter ...

colour with 5 vertical stripes of white dividing it into six equal parts. The clasps to the medal are bars 32 mm long with the name of the country of service inscribed on it.

Notes

References

{{Indian honours and decorations, state=autocollapse Military awards and decorations of India