On April 14, 2024, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), presided over a Naval Investiture Ceremony at INS Hansa (Indian navy’s air station), Goa, presenting Gallantry and Distinguished Service awards to Naval personnel on behalf of President of India Droupadi Murmu.
Key Points:
i.35 personnel received awards recognizing bravery, leadership, professional achievements, and distinguished service.
ii.Notable recipients included commander (Cdr) Manish Singh Karki, Cdr Kaustab Banerjee, Lieutenant (Lt) Cdr Panneerselvam Vishnu Prasanna, and Lt Cdr Bhaskar, who were awarded Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry).
iii.The CNS Trophy for Best Green Practices 2023 was awarded to Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, Maharashtra and INS (Indian Naval Ship) Valsura.
iv.Unit Citations were awarded to various Naval units, including INS Teg, INS Kolkata, INS Karmuk, INS Sumedha, INS Sumitra, and INS Sharda, submarine INS Sindhukesari, flight squadron INAS 550, and shore establishments Chilka, Circars, Eksila, Dronacharya, and Naval Ship Repair Yard (Karwar).
v.The CNS also presented the Lt VK Jain Memorial Gold Medal 2024 to Shubham Hira for pioneering research in weapon improvement and electrical engineering and the Capt Ravi Dhir Memorial Gold Medal 2024 awarded to Tabsheer Ahmed Wani for promoting flight safety.