Facts about Param Vir Chakra

1. Som Nath Sharma, the first recipient of the PVC, was the award designer Mrs. Savitri Khanolankar's son-in-law.
2. Of the 21 PVC awardees, 20 are from Indian Army and 1 from Indian Air Force. 
3. 14 of the 21 Param Vir chakra awards were posthumous. 
4. Grenadiers Regiment have received the most number of Param Vir Chakras, with 3 awards, one each for the Indo-Pakistan 1965 war, 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and the Kargil War. The Gorkha Rifles have also received 3 awards, with the 1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment), 8th Gorkha Rifles and 11th Gorkha Rifles each receiving one. 
5. The Sikh Regiment, Kumaon Regiment, 17th Poona Horse and Jammu and Kashmir Rifles have received 2 Param Vir chakra Gallantry awards. 
6. The highest rank to be awarded a Param Vir Chakra is that of a Lieutenant Colonel. Lt. Col. Ardeshir Tarapore, thus, had the highest rank to get this award. 
7. The award to Major Dhan Singh Thapa, for the battle of Sirijap in the 1962 War was initially announced as a Posthumous award. It was not known that Major Thapa was taken POW at that time. 
8. By an administrative mistake, the PVC to Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav was also announced posthumously. At that time Gren Yadav was recuperating in a hospital from his wounds. This was because there was another Soldier with the exact same name in his Unit who died in the same operation. 
9. It is supposed to have one of the most rigorous selection systems. 
10. Between 1983-85, The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd., took delivery of 15 ships (oil tankers) from Hyundai Shipyard and they were named after the then PVC awardees. The ships were named as "Company Havildar Major Piru Singh PVC". In fact in foreign ports the word PVC had to be explained to the pilots because it was construed by them to mean synthetic PVC. 
11. The Param Vir Chakra was established on first Republic Day of India, 26th January 1950. It is given to the highest and the bravest of brave act of valor and self sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. 
12. The Param Vir chakra was designed by Savitri Khanolkar, wife of Vikram Khanolkar, an officer in the Indian Army. 

PARAM VIR CHAKRA