Videsh Seva Medal

Awarded to military personnel for services outside of India. Personnel assigned to diplomatic missions are excluded from awards. In many cases, the clasps are awarded either for service with the United Nations or other multi-national missions or for detached service on loan to foreign governments. In general, the qualifying period is graduated according to the length of the specific service: for assignments over a year, the qualifying period is six months; for assignments less than a year, the qualifying period is three months. Exceptions are made for special cases.

While all bars observed have been produced in Hindi rather than English, they will frequently be referred to by their English names. At the request of friends, and since the bars are in Hindi and may therefore present identification problems, I have, where possible, attached close-up images of the bars. I hope this will aid in their identification.

Established: 1960, by the President of India, with effect from 25 March 1953.

Obverse: A 35-mm circular copper-nickel medal. The Ashokan lions (the Indian national emblem), and below "Videsh Seva Medal" in Hindi. Suspended by a straight-bar suspender. The medal is normally named on the edge.

Reverse: An ancient Indian ship on the open stormy seas.

Ribbon: 32 mm, medium blue with five equally spaced white stripes. 4.5 mm medium blue, 1 mm white, 4.5 mm medium blue, 1 mm white, 4.5 mm medium blue, 1 mm white, 4.5 mm medium blue, 1 mm white, 4.5 mm medium blue, 1 mm white, 4.5 mm medium blue.

Outline: (the bars for this medal are numerous and very complex)

  • Korea (1950-54) - for 90 days of service with the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC) or the Indian Custodial Force in Korea, 22 November 1950-17 March 1954

  • Nepal (1952-) - (a) for 180 days of service on the effective strength of any unit employed in the construction of Tribhuvan Rajpath or airfields in Nepal, 15 April 1952-15 April 1958; (b) for 90 days of service providing signal communications during the Nepali elections, 26 November 1958-3 May 1959; (c) for 180 days of service with the Indian Military Training Mission or the Military Advisory Training Group, 1 August 1952-???; (d) for 24 hours of flying with air survey or transport missions over Nepal, 1 April 1962-???

  • Hindchin / Indo-China (1954-) - for 90 days of service on the staff of the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Viet-Nam, Laos, and Cambodia (ICSC), 7 August 1954-???.

  • Indonesia (1955-) - awarded for service on loan to the government of Indonesia, 21 November 1955-???.

  • Sanyukt Arab Ganrajy / United Arab Republic (1956-??) - (a) for UN service with UNEF,, 2 November 1956-???, (b) on loan to the government of Egypt/U.A.R. 21 November 1956-???.

  • Ethiopia (1957-, 1961-) - (a) for 180 days of service on the staff of the Heile Seliassie II Military Academy, 3 May 1957-???; (b) for 180 days of service on deputation to the Ethiopian government for service in the Imperial Body Guard Training Centre, 24 September 1961-??.

  • Lebanon (1958) - for 90 days of UN service with UNIFIL, 19 June 1958-12 December 1958.

  • Iraq (1959-) - for 180 days of service on loan to the government of Iraq, 10 November 1959-???.

  • Ghana (1959-) - for 180 days of service on loan to the government of Ghana, 23 March 1959-???.

  • Congo (1960-64) - (a) for 180 days of UN service with ONUC, 2 August 1960-; (b) for 6 sorties of 24 hours of flying transport missions over the Congo, 2 August 1960-.

  • Bhutan (1961-) - (a) for service with the Indian army team in Bhutan, 27 May 1961-22 September 1962; (b) for 180 days of service with the Indian Military Training Team, 27 August 1962-; (c) for 180 days of service with a unit employed on road construction in Bhutan, 3 April 1961-

  • Nigeria - ???

  • Algeria (1963-) - for 180 days on service on deputation to the government of Algeria, 28 December 1963-

  • Yemen (1963-64) - for 90 days of UN service with UNYOM, 4 September 1963-4 September 1964

  • Bangladesh - ???

  • Mauritius - ???

  • Maldives (1988) - awarded for service in "Operation Cactus" in which Indian troops were deployed to the Maldives from 3-6 November 1988 in response to a request from the governmnent for assistance in the face of a mercenary invasion - army, navy, and air force troops were delpoyed

  • Afghanistan - ???

  • Zambia - ???

  • Sri Lanka for "Operation Pawan," peacekeeping service in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, 1987-90, as apart of the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) - awarded to army, navy, and air force personnel for services in Sri Lanka, around 200,000 Indian troops served in "Operation Pawan" - recipients of this bar also received the Special Service Medal with bar for Sri Lanka.

  • Sudan - ???

  • Angola (1989-) - for service with the United Nations Angola Verification Mission ,January 1989-June 1997 or with with the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), July 1997--

  • Namibia(1989-90) - for service with the United Nations Transitional Assistance Group , April 1989-March 1990 (see also 01000)

  • Iraq-Kuwait (1991-) - for service with the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission , April 1991--

  • El Salvador (1991-95) - for service with the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador , July 1991-April 1995

  • Cambodia (1991-93) - for service with the United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia, November 1991-March 1992) or the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia

  • Somalia (1992-95) - for service with the United Nations Operations in Somalia and UNOSOM II), April 1992-March 1995

  • Mozambique (1992-94) - for service with the United Nations Operation in Mozambique , December 1992-December 1994

  • Liberia (1993-) - for service with the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia , September 1993--

  • Haiti (1993-96) - for service with the United Nations Mission in Haiti , September 1993-June 1996

  • Rwanda (1993-96) - for service with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda October 1993-March 1996

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995-) - for service with the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, December 1995--

  • Yugoslavia - ???