<P> The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime . The PVC is equivalent to the Medal of Honor in the United States and the Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom . Only 21 soldiers have received this award to date . </P> <P> The history of present - day Indian gallantry awards can be traced back to the rule of the East India Company, when the first formal award was instituted by Lord William Bentinck in 1834 as the Order of Merit, later renamed the Indian Order of Merit in 1902 . During the First World War, the British awards system was adopted and continued through the Second World War . Post-independence, new awards were instituted on 26 January 1950, with retroactive effect from 15 August 1947 . </P> <P> Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy". The medal of the PVC was designed by Savitri Khanolkar, whose daughter's brother - in - law, Major Somnath Sharma, was coincidentally awarded the first PVC . As of January 2018, the medal has been awarded 21 times, of which 14 were posthumous and 16 arose from actions in Indo - Pakistani conflicts . Of the 21 awardees, 20 have been from the Indian Army, and one has been from the Indian Air Force . A number of central and state governments and ministries of India provide allowances and rewards to recipients of the PVC (or their family members in case of the recipient's death). </P> <P> The history of modern - day Indian gallantry awards can be traced back to the rule of the East India Company . Gold medals were awarded to Indian officers for the first time in 1795, with the first recipient being Subedar Abdul Kader of the 5th Madras Native Infantry . The chain of the gold medal awarded to Kader was inscribed with the words "For Conduct and Courage on All Occasions". In 1834 the Order of Merit was established by the then - Governor - General of India, Lord William Bentinck . The decoration was renamed the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) in 1902, and Indians considered it to be "the most coveted gallantry award" until the Victoria Cross (VC)--the highest award for gallantry in the British Empire--was extended to Indians in 1911 . The VC was awarded to a total of 153 Indian and British soldiers of the British Indian Army, and civilians under its command, from 1857 until Indian independence in 1947 . </P>

Who was awarded with the first param veer chakra vijeta