General Service Medal

Authority

President’s Secretariat Notification No 3-Pres/50 dated 5 Jun 50

Conditions of eligibility

Awarded for services rendered with the Armed Forces under active service conditions or conditions akin thereto. Where appropriate, a clasp for each operation shall be instituted by the President.

Eligible categories

Officers and men and women of all ranks of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, of any of the Reserve Forces, of the Territorial Army, of Indian State Forces, Militia and of any other lawfully constituted Armed Forces.

Matrons, Sisters, Nurses and the Staff of the Nursing Services and other services pertaining to Hospitals and Nursing. Civilians on the authorized establishment of a unit/formation of Armed Forces or Indian State Forces, who are (a) Enrolled or (b) Uniformed or (c) Liable for general service.

An individual qualifying for the Medal for the first time shall be awarded the Medal together with a clasp indicating the particular operation for which it is awarded. For all subsequent operations for which the issue of a clasp is approved, only the Clasp indicating the particular operation shall be awarded. The Bar of the Clasp shall have the name or the place of the Operation engraved on it.

Design of the Medal and Riband

Medal Circular in shape, made of cupro-nickel, 1.42 inches in diameter with the fitting of standard pattern, and shall have embossed on the obverse a representation of “Bhavani “ (Divine Sword ) symbolising justice and the true discrimination on the reverse shall be an embossed inscription “GENERAL SERVICE” along the upper rim and the world “INDIA” along the lower rim. In the centre shall be embossed a lotus flower with buds and leaves.

Riband Red coloured silk riband of one and a quarter inches in width, divided into six equal stripes by five green vertical lines.