Awards for policemen, firemen, home guards, other services merged

New Delhi [India], October 17 (ANI): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has merged the Central awards conferred separately to the police, fire service, home guard and correctional service-- a move to streamline the honours for Central and State police personnel as well as departments and organisations of other related fields.
Now President's Medal for Gallantry, Medal for Gallantry, President's Medal for Distinguished Service and Medal for Meritorious Service will be for all four services.
The announcement comes through a notification issued on Monday stressing its implementation with "immediate effect".
As per the notification, the existing President's Gallantry Medal will now be called "President's Medal for Gallantry'. The merged 'Gallantry Medal" will now be known as 'Medal for Gallantry', 'President's Distinguished Service Medal' as 'President's Medal for Distinguished Service' and the 'Meritorious Service Medal' as 'Medal for Meritorious Service'.
"Merging of four existing President's Gallantry Medals (for Police, Fire Service, Home Guard and Civil Defence and Correctional Service) in one medal namely "President's Medal for Gallantry" with immediate effect," reads one of the four pointers of the notification.
Another pointer mentions merging four existing Gallantry Medals ( for Police, Fire Service, Home Guard and Civil Defence and Correctional Service) in one Medal namely "Medal for Gallantry" with immediate effect.
The third pointer talks about the merger of four existing President's Distinguished Service Medals ( for Police, Fire Service, Home Guard and Civil Defence and Correctional Service) into one Medal namely "President's Medal for Distinguished Service" with immediate effect.
The last pointer states the merger of four existing Meritorious Service Medals ( for Police, Fire Service, Home Guard and Civil Defence and Correctional Service) into one Medal namely "Medal for Meritorious Service" with immediate effect.
All these awards are announced on Republic Day and Independence Day each year. This will remain the same but the scope of awards for each category has been widened to subsume honours for the police; fire service; home guard and civil defence; and correctional service.
Copies of the notification were also sent to chief secretaries, home secretaries and Directors General of Police of all the States and Union Territories (UTs).
Directors of the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Special Protection Group, North Eastern Police Academy and National Crime Records Bureau were also served the notification letter.
Among other served the notification are Directors General of Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, National Security Guard, National Investigation Agency, Railway Police Force, Bureau of Police Research and Development, Sashastra Seema Bal, Narcotics Control Bureau, National Disaster Response Force, National Human Rights Commission, Assam Assam Rifles (through LOAR) as well as other Central government organisations including all ministries and departments (except ministry of defence).
The President's Medal for Gallantry recognises rare conspicuous gallant acts of exceptional courage and skill in saving life and property, or in preventing crime or arresting criminals, apprehending a prisoner or preventing their escape.
The Medal for Gallantry recognises conspicuous gallant acts of merit in saving life and property, or in preventing crime or arresting criminals, apprehending a prisoner or preventing their escape. (ANI)