Wing Commander Cecil Barretto (5232) Dental was commissioned in the Dental Corps in February, 1945. After having had his basic training, he was posted to No. 4 Army Dental Centre at Rawalpindi. After a short spell as a Dental Officer there, he was posted as OIC of 35 Ind Army Dental Centre and served till end of the war in that Dental Centre which was attached to 14 Ind Div. During his stay with 14 Ind Div he carried out dental inspection and treatment of among troops with the exceptional sense of duty and ensured that there was no man day lost among them. After the Second World War he served as Officer Commanding Military Dental Centre at various stations with devotion and selflessness.

Immediately after independence, he was posted to J&K as Officer in-charge No. 8 Military Dental Centre when Indian Army troops were inducted to fight the Pakistani Marauders in J&K State. He performed his duty during the course of his stay there with extreme devotion and unparalleled efficiency.

After he was seconded to the Air Force, he has served at different Air Force Stations with an exceptional good record of service. His professional skill and noteworthy manners of treatment are highly spoken of by all Air Force personnel and their families. At present this officer is commanding Military Dental Centre Panaji which is giving cover to a large number of army troops stationed there. Besides, he is called upon to look after the troops of the other services as and when stationed there.

Throughout, Wing Commander Cecil Barretto has rendered distinguished service of a high order.

Wing Commander Raj Kumar Mahajan (5251) Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) was commissioned in the IAF in September, 1956. He has held many important appointments both in operational units and on the staff at Air Headquarters. He took over the Command of a Technical Squadron of a Surface to Air Guided Weapons Complex on 19th March, 1973 and set to work with missionary zeal in determined effort to raise the standard of his unit to an exemplary level to enhance maintenance of technical equipment and vehicles of the Complex. Faced with numerous problems of unserviceability of equipment, shortage of spare parts and lack of experienced personnel, Wg Cdr Mahajan with outstanding leadership, initiative and personal example inspired his men to bring up operational readiness of his unit and accomplished the difficult task of training his crews to very high standard of efficiency thereby winning the best Technical Squadron Trophy for the year 1973-74. He continued to work with commendable energy, single minded devotion and perserverence and further improved the operational preparedness of his Squadron to an excellent standard. By active involvement, guidance and ingenuity he has also made significant contribution in the attainment of a very high standard of maintenance and serviceability of technical equipment and specialist vehicles in the Complex.

Wing Commander Virendra Nath Bhargava (5288) Medical was commissioned on 7th January, 1957 and within two and half years of service was graded as a medical specialist. Since then he has been working in various Hospitals and Establishments.

A classified specialist who has distinguished himself in academics with specialization in Cardiology in the United Kingdom, he has been an asset wherever he has been posted.

As a Staff Surgeon to the Chief of the Air Staff, he has shown considerable initiative and zeal in modernizing the treatment of diseases and bringing his medical unit to a high level of efficiency. He has displayed professional skill of a very high order, and carried out his duties with credit and dedication beyond the normal call of duty. This has resulted in high morale and a sense of well being among the Air Force personnel.

Wing Commander Virendra Nath Bhargava is awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for rendering meritorious and distinguished service of a high order.

Wing Commander Raghavan Gopalaswamy (5826) Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) was commissioned in the Engineering Branch of the Air Force on 1st December, 1959.

Wing Commander Gopalaswamy was responsible during November 1961 to August 1975 for pioneering, guiding and directing the work of development of liquid propulsion systems for guided weapons in India. The bulk of this work has been taken up by him in the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad. This work which is entirely indigenous has laid down the foundation for the development of range of liquid rocket power plants for short and long range guided weapons and rockets.

Wing Commander Gopalaswamy is today one of the top Rocket Propulsion technologists in India. By his pioneering and dedicated efforts of an exceptional order over a long period of 13 years and in the face of unsurmountable difficulties he has estab lished a vital breakthrough and competence in our country in the design, development and testing of the entire spectrum of liquid propulsion engines for rockets and missiles.

Wing Commander Raghavan Gopalaswamy is awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for the distinguished service of a high order and for self-reliance and propulsion technology in rockets and guided missiles.

Squadron Leader Birendra Kumar Nigam (5155) Education was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in April, 1956. He is one of the few trained Psychological Officers in the Air Force and has served as a Psychological first in No. 1 Air Force Selection Board and later as Senior Psychological Officer in No. 2 Air Force Selection Board. When serving as an Education Officer at No. 2 and 5 Ground Training Schools in 1956 and 1960, he imparted instruction in English to the first batch of Afghan and Indonesian airmen sent to India. The officer devised a special syllabus and at considerable pains prepared training notes and aids. He was the founder member of No. 2 Air Force Selection Board, Mysore where he served from 1962 to 1966. As the Senior Psychological Officer, he set up the Psychological Section from the scratch. In addition, he imparted practical training to the newly appointed Psychologists besides attending many administrative problems associated with the formation of a new Unit.

As Senior Education Officer of Air Force Station, New Delhi from 1966 to 1970, he with his initiative successfully expanded the educational facilities for the Air Force children. As Secretary of three Air Force Schools in Delhi he improved the standard of education of all the schools as well as the state of finances to a great extent. He also successfully officiated as the Principal of Air Force Central School for a short period. At another Air Force Station, finding that the Station Central School was not in a position to accommodate all the service children he developed the Station Nursery School into a recognized middle school.

In December, 1972, Sqn Ldr Nigam was posted to Headquarters No. 1 Operational Group as Officer in-Charge 'P' Staff. With hardly any past experience in this sphere, he took up his assignment as a challenge. Single handed, with inadequate staff he set about the task of setting up the administrative branch in right earnest and with enthusiasm. By his personal example and hard work, he has in a short time organized the section on sound footing. In addition, the responsibility of carrying out duties of Group Education Officer also fell on him. It is to his sheer hard work and dedicated work, without adequate staff, that the Group has been able to maintain an efficient control over the educational activities of the units. He is an example of a mature, dedicated and highly efficient officer and thus has rendered distinguished service of a high order.

Squadron Leader Janak Kapur (5585) Flying (Pilot) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force on 29th May, 1958. Since then he has served in five different air defence squadrons. He is fully operational on subsonic and supersonic fighters and has done a large number of flying hours.

In carrying out his flying duties over the last 16 years, he has displayed great abilities as a fighter pilot and commander. He possesses courage, determination and professional competence of a high order. He is an example which has been emulated by his juniors.

Squadron Leader Janak Kapur is also a keen, disciplined and dedicated staff officer. He accepts responsibilities entrusted to him cheerfully and carries them out efficiently. With his qualities, he has proved to be of a very good pilot and an excellent administrator.

Squadron Leader Janak Kapur with his high sense of dedication to duty and great professional competence in the air and on ground has rendered distinguished service of a high order. He is awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal.

Squadron Leader Ranganath had a brilliant and distinguished academic career, which included two gold medals in the LLB Examination. As Officer-in-Charge Personnel-1 at Headquarters Training Command, he has handled the duties and jobs entrusted to him with utmost cheerfulness, diligence and competence. He was trained on aerial photography and has made significant contributions in the modi fication of two aircraft for aerial photographic roles. With his deep and clear knowledge of Air Force Law, Civil Law and various rules and regulations affecting personnel, he has been performing the duties connected with Courts Martial as well.

Squadron Leader Verma was posted as Assistant Director of Flight Safety after attending a specialist course in West Germany. In a short span of six months, he created and built up a truly professional Fight Safety magazine which has become a powerful tool for accident prevention in the Air Force. Through his efforts and selfless devotion to duty, aircraft accident rate has been considerably reduced.

Squadron Leader Jnan Ranjan Chatterjee (5851) Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) joined the Air Force as a Wireless Operator in the year 1944. He was selected for flying duties as a Signaller (Air) in the year 1948. He stood first in the Signallers' (Air) Course and was detailed for instructional duties for Signallers from 1953 to 1958. As a Signaller he has flown 3829 hours on various operational and VVIP flights in a variety of transport aircraft. He was awarded Transport Aircrew Category 'A' which he has held for eight years. After successful completion of training at Air Force Technical College, he was granted Commission in the Technical Signals Branch in the year 1958.

He was posted as Senior Technical Officer at an operational unit in February, 1974. On taking over, he found that the radar set of his unit was due for major overhaul and replacement. The normal time estimated for this major task was 18 days. By applying management techniques, this officer planned, organized and executed the task in a remarkably short time of six days. During this period, the officer showed outstanding professional knowledge and exceptional administrative abilities and meticulous care for details.

On 25th March, 1974 the radar set became unserviceable. Though this repair task was beyond the normal scope of a front line unit, the officer with great confidence organized and accomplished the repair task within the unit resources. On 30th June, 1974 the set again became unserviceable. Though the task was beyond the scope of the unit, the officer with great zeal and single minded devotion got the repair carried out within the unit resources within six days.

The officer also displayed great ingenuity, professional skill and originality of thought by fabricating a cheap substitute component for which the foreign make Very High Frequency Radio Vehicle was lying unserviceable for about 18 months. The officer is also responsible for enhancing the life of a filter in a foreign make generating set. This has helped in saving of Rs. 200 per month in this unit alone.

Squadron Leader Jnan Ranjan Chatterjee, throughout his service career has displayed qualities of originality, leadership, innovation, capacity for hard work, consummate skill and thoroughness for details. He has thus rendered distinguished service of high order.

Squadron Leader Lath resolved the identification problem of stores of foreign make by hard work and study in depth. He established all the detailed information required in respect of the stores indented and then with the assistance of the staff built up a system whereby the required information is collected and suitably recorded. He also planned and put into effect a system of thorough scrutiny of 'Production Holds Up' demands and diligently progressed procurement action on them. He also evolved a method to ensure that locally procurable stores are always available by resorting to their purchase well in time. He has established a sound provisioning system at a big and very important Base Repair Depot of the Air Force.

Squadron Leader Sharma was posted to a Base Repair Depot after completing the post graduate course in Electronics and Control Engineering from Cranfield, U.K. He has not only performed the allotted functions of Industrial Engineer but has solved a large number of production problems thus helping maximise production. He developed a layout plan for the abinitio installation of Navigation System in a bomber aircraft. He was also associated with the development of a warning, radar system where he was responsible for design and fabrication of essential components of the system, fitment in the aircraft and flight trials. He has successfully designed and fabricated Antenna lifting jacks for surveillance radar of an Air Defence Complex.

Squadron Leader Man Mohan Singh Ahluwalia (6809) Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) was commissioned in November, 1962. He was posted to an Operational Squadron in September, 1973. In the capacity as the Senior Technical Officer of the Squadron, this-officer set out to reorganise the technical section of the squadron to achieve maximum productivity with minimum manpower utilisation. He also undertook the direct responsibility of training all technical tradesmen to achieve a proficiency standard that was essential in the maintenance of the sophisticated aircraft that the Squadron had recently acquired.

Ever since Squadron Leader Ahluwalia took over Senior Technical Officer of the Squadron, aircraft serviceability state started to show marked improvement. With careful planning and scheduling of inspection, correct fault diagnosis and speedy snag rectification he was able to sustain a high percentage of aircraft serviceability which is now considered as a record among supersonic squadrons in the Indian Air Force. Due to his earnest and tireless effort the Squadron was able to meet the flying task regularly every month. Squadron Leader Man Mohan Singh Ahluwalia has displayed exemplary qualities as a manager and organiser and his professional skill and devotion to duty are praiseworthy. He has rendered distinguished service of a high order, for which he is awarded Vishisht Seva Medal.

Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh (6870) Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) was commissioned in the January, 1963. He is commanding a Repair and Salvage Unit since 21st February, 1972, which provided 3rd line servicing cover for aircraft of units in Western and Rajasthan sectors.

The officer worked out repair schemes for aircraft having structural damage due to accidents or fatigue which at times is beyond the normal scope of the unit. Some of the items for repairs, which would have taken a long time to materialize ex-India at a high cost, were improvised due to his ingenuity and repairs were executed in the shortest possible time. The officer with his initiative, organizational ability, high technical skill and leadership has been instrumental in developing the unit into a very proficient and well knit team thus enabling it to carry out repairs much beyond the normal task for a Repair and Salvage Unit. The prompt action by the unit has cut down the aircraft "ground time" to a very large extent which in turn has helped the Squadrons to sustained high serviceability and grater aircraft utilization. His leadership and guidance in evacuating a category 'B' Helicopter from Keylong Helipad in Lahul and Spiti Valley to a Base Repair Dept through hazardous and difficult roads, has been extremely praiseworthy.

Throughout his service career, Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh has displayed a very high degree of initiative, resourcefulness and perseverance. He is awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for rendering the distinguished service of a high order.

Squadron Leader Sivalingam has been incharge of repairs of a particular Fighter aircraft at a Base Repair Depot. For the task year 1973-74, when he was there production registered an all time record of 27 aircraft. During the months preceding the Indo-Pak Conflict of 1971, he succeeded in completing production of nine aircraft in one month, again an all time record. He has done pioneering work in several projects concerning this type of aircraft, which includes successful modification of the aircraft for installation of a new Navigation system, Camera and coloured smoke emission system. Besides, he carried out a feasibility study of important modification to improve the operational performance of the aircraft.

Squadron Leader Reddy is currently holding fighter controller's category 'A'. While on the strength of an operational Signals Unit, he was entrusted with the challenging job of Unit Training Director. He was able to impart theoretical and practical knowledge to all fighter controllers posted to the Western sector as also a number of fighter controllers from other sectors and Commands. Thus he has brought about a marked improvement in the operational standard of all the fighter controllers in the sector. He has also been actively associated as Sector Operations Officer, Sector Director or Intercept Director in all the Air Defence exercises conducted since his posting to the unit.

A severe cyclone hit Jamnagar from the evening of till the early hours of 23 Oct 75 during which the wind went upto 180 km/hr. Squadron Leader Ramakrishna was officiating as Chief Operation Officer, right from the tine of receiving the initial warning personally supervised picketing of aircraft and himself got down the task along with various parties. During the hours of heavy gale, rain and darkness the officer went round from aircraft to aircraft and continued his supervision by walking in knee deep water in total darkness. The Officer's supervision of and guidance to gale parties was instrumental in saving a number of aircraft.

Master Warrant Officer Chandran was enrolled on 1 Nov 42. He was posted to Air Force Academy where he was in-charge of Harvard second line servicing. It was largely due to his efforts that inspite of the age of the Aircraft, the training targets could be adhered to and courses passed out on schedule. Notable amongst his achievements is elimination of Counter Weight shaft failures. In 1974 there were incidents of the front cowling of Harvard aircraft fouling with the propeller. With his professional knowledge and personal participation he evolved suitable servicing instruction to prevent recurrence of such incidents. His contribution to make flying safe is substantial.

Warrant Officer Sambasivan was enrolled on 3 Apr 44. He has taken active part in a large number of flight trials for evaluation of modern avionics systems. As Warrant Officer in-charge Project Team, he was required to participate in the installation of these sophisticated systems on a variety of aircraft under trial. He executed these tasks with the highest degree of proficiency. He also trained other airmen of the Avionics Test Laboratory for this type of work and played a major role in the successful conduct of Avionics Evaluation trials.

Flight Sergeant Varada Rajulu was enrolled in the Indian Air Force on 17 Aug 48. He is a very efficient and capable Senior NonCommissioned Officer with extreme personal involvement in the maintenance and servicing of the Squadron aircraft. He has undertaken all round responsibility as the Senior NonCommissioned Officer in-charge Repair and Salvage Section and Daily Servicing Section at the base and at detachments away from the base. His high sense of duty, thorough professional knowledge, zeal and pride in his job have inspired his subordinates to match his professional excellence and devotion to duty.

209286 Flight Sergeant Jagat Ram Sharma Fitter/Armourer was enrolled on 3rd July, 1951. Since then, with his thorough technical knowledge and extreme devotion to duty, he has rendered valuable service to the Indian Air Force.

He was posted to an operational Squadron in March, 1972 at a time when this Squadron was being re-equipped with latest fighter aircraft. He was appointed as the Senior NonCommissioned Officer in-charge of the Daily Servicing Section. With the associated teething problems of a re-equipped Squadron and with only a few trained hands available, it fell upon him to undertake the task of training and organizing his section to help commence conversion training of pilots. He devoted himself to this task with zeal and determination and in a few weeks, he was able to train a number of unit tradesmen to undertake all servicing tasks of this section. Flight Sergeant Jagat Ram Sharma kept up this tempo of activity and the Squadron was Fully Operational within a short period.

Ever since re-equipment of the squadron with new aircraft he has maintained a high standard of aircraft serviceability.

Flight Sergeant Jagat Ram Sharma is a very fine example of a highly devoted and responsible Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in a Flying Establishment. For qualities of management, dedication to duty and high professional skill, he is awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal.

Flight Sergeant Sharma was enrolled on 1 Mar 58. He is one of the most outstanding technicians of his Squadron. He is consulted by technicians of all trades for unusual snags. He played an important role in servicing 6 Dakota engines awaiting major repairs on clutch assemblies by the overhauling agency at HAL, thus performed valuable service to the country and Air Force by saving transportation and overhauling cost and making available these engines for immediate use. His professional competence, devotion to duty and capacity for hard work have been a source of inspiration to others.

207827 Sergeant Jagtar Singh Athwal Fitter II Airframe was enrolled on 29th August, 1951. For the past 12 years he has been continuously working in front-line squadrons. He was Mentioned-in-Despatches for his performance in September, 1965 conflict with Pakistan. He also took active and creditable part in 1971 conflict with Pakistan in the Western Sector. He has been continuously working on supersonic aircraft for the past 8 years.

He was instrumental in maintaining a high standard of serviceability and maintenance efficiency in his trade. His technical skill and professional knowledge along with Practical, methodical and dedicate approach to maintenance activity enabled quick and accurate diagnosis, analysis and rectification of malfunction of aircraft systems.

Sergeant Athwal was one of the five SNCOs posted to a supersonic squadron who formed the nucleus of trained and experienced technicians when the squadron was re-equipped with the latest type of fighter aircraft in December, 1974. He immediately put his undiluted attention to the commitments facing the unit. He was detailed SNCO i/c Daily Servicing Section in January, 1975. It is to his credit that, within a short time, from collection of personnel with diverse experience from different units, he formed a well-knit, hard working and competent team. His cheerful disposition, even in the face of overwhelming odds, without ground equipment and adequate manpower, his Herculean capacity and willingness for hard work, and his faultless personal example, have been a great source of inspiration to all who have come in contact with him. Due to his initiative, organizational ability and professional competence the Squadron has more than adequately met its flying commitment inspite of the odds, achieved a high standard of maintenance and flight safety.

Throughout, Sergeant Jagtar Singh Athwal has constantly displayed professional ability, dynamic drive, organizing ability and dedication. He is awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for rendering distinguished service of a high order.

Sergeant Pandey was enrolled on 11 Jun 57. During his tenure he has carried out structural repairs of helicopters in difficult areas under field conditions despite limited facilities. He was responsible for the repair of one helicopter which had main shell and the stub boom damaged in a crash in a snow covered valley beyond a forward base. There were no jigs available to align the shell, stub boom and tail boom. Yet he carried out the repair by fabricating a new stub boom with frames and strings. He was also called upon to undertake the structural modification of a helicopter for mineral survey purposes which he carried out in a very short time.

221343 Sergeant Tulsi Parthasarthy Medical Assistant was enrolled on 5th December, 1957. During this period of about 18 years he has rendered invaluable service to the Indian Air Force. Wherever he worked, he set an example for others to emulate. He has been on deputation to the Aviation Research Centre since 15th February, 1971. This hard working, energetic and intelligent Senior Non-Commissioned Officer has shown exem plary behavior, exceptional courage and devotion to duty during an air crash on 3rd May, 1975. Sergeant Tulsi Parthasarthy rushed to the scene of accident and rendered invaluable assistance in administering first aid and subsequent evacuation of one of the pilots who was very seriously injured. He then set forth to trace the bodies of other victims of the crash from the burning and fuming wreckage. With determination and courage he assisted the fire fighting and survival crew tremendously to extricate the bodies of other crew members from the blazing debris. But for his utmost sincerity, concerted and timely action some of the bodies could not have been recovered. Sergeant Tulsi Parthasarthy placed service and devotion to duty above self and displayed most exemplary service during an emergency.

For his exemplary courage and devotion to duty Sergeant Tulsi Parthasarthy is awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal.

Corporal Matharu was enrolled on 13 Jan 64. He has been on the posted strength of a Helicopter Unit and he has displayed extraordinary skill In the rectification of very complicated snags. This, he has achieved through intelligent application of snag diagnosis and rectification procedures requiring a high degree of patience and hard work. In the absence of scaled test rigs, he has displayed initiative in locally fabricating alternative means to meet the test require ments for the aircraft components. He was earlier com mended by the Chief of the Air Staff in 1970 and again in 1973.