The Kitri Chakra Decoration was established in 1952 and is India’s second-highest peacetime military decoration. It’s awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle.
The Kitri Chakra may be awarded to civilians and military personnel, and can be given posthumously. The decoration is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra.
Before 1967, the award was known as the Ashoka Chakra, Class II. The statutes were revised and the decoration renamed on 27 January 1967.
The Kitri Chakra Design
The medal is circular in shape, struck in standard silver and measures 1-3/8 inches in diameter.
The obverse has the chakra (wheel) of Ashoka surrounded by a lotus wreath and an ornate edge. The reverse has the inscription “Kitri Chakra” embossed in Hindi and English along the upper and lower edges of the medal. The center is blank.
The ribbon is green with two thin orange lines in the center.
