Air Commodore Karunakaran Nair Velayudhan Nair (13082) Adm was commissioned in the Administrative Branch of the Indian Air Force on 17 Jun 1972. During his career spanning 34 years, he held various important command, staff and field appointments and rendered distinguished service with selfless devotion. He is a graduate of College Of Defence Management and was commended by AOC-in-C SWAC and the Chief of Air Staff.

Early in his career, the Air officer received the Flight Safety 'Good Show' recognition for his exceptional controlling skills in safely recovering a fighter aircraft in a grave emergency operating over desserts under dark night conditions. As the CO of an Air Defence Unit, he single handedly and with commendable dispatch coordinated and streamlined the mammoth task of ensuring smooth inbound and outbound transit of personnel and military stores of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces operating in Sri Lanka. When handpicked and nominated to represent IAF in the Organizing Committees of Commonwealth and World Cup Shooting Championships, he conceptualized and meticulously executed the spectacular opening and closing ceremonies of these events in most impressive manner befitting international standards. In his capacity as JD (Ceremonials) at Air HQ, he was instrumental in coordinating the first ever 'Air warrior Symphonic Concert', a musical exposition by IAF Bands which was an extravaganza widely applauded by the discerning audience for its spic and span organization.

As Chief administrative Officer of a large base, he was particularly concerned of the well being and welfare of subordinates and was instrumental in providing impetus to development projects conceived for improving quality of life of the air warriors, DSC personnel and civilians alike. When a SU-30 Squadron was to be inducted to the base, notwithstanding the very meager preparatory time available, he effectively leveraged all the facilities on base and meticulously planned and fine tuned support services in an extraordinary manner and optimized their responses to ensure smooth induction as per schedule.

The Air officer assumed charge as Provost Marshal (Air), Air HQ in Oct 04. Under his dynamic leadership, and through personal involvement, he steered and influenced the 29 provost units spread wide across the country with renewed synergy and purposeful focus in their work thus improving security practices in IAF. In recognition of his vast experience and professional knowledge in the field of security, the Air officer was nominated as an expert to represent IAF in the bilateral security talks in USA with the US Pacific Air Force. The Air Officer displayed professional wisdom and visionary zeal in conceptualizing and coordinating multifaceted commando training of Garuds to make them fit and confident to undertake lethal and precision operations in any risk prone environment. It is due to his exemplary efforts and unflinching sense of purpose that the making of Garuds into a well-knit and battle ready operational commando outfit was realised well ahead of the schedule for deployment in sensitive bases in J&K Sector and as part of the UN Peacekeeping Forces ex- India.

For his distinguished service of high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Air Commodore Karunakaran Nair Velayudhan Nair.

Air Commodore Prashid Basu (13828) AE (L) was commissioned in the IAF on 06 Jan 75. During his career spanning 30 years, he had held important field and staff appointments which includes Engineering officer in Helicopter Unit, Directing staff at training Establishment and Commanding Officer of Signals Unit. The Air Officer is functioning as Principal Director Signals (Air) at Air HQ (VB) wef 08 Jun 05.

On assuming charge in this key appointment, he took a number of initiatives towards modernizing VHF/UHF communica tion and recording equipment, crystallizing requirements for Disaster Management Communication. He rationalized the on going projects and provided alternate solutions for special operational projects, which resulted in a saving to the exchequer of several crores of rupees. He took additional initiative to liaise with MoD and obtained clearance for a large number of projects which had been delayed for many years.

Amongst the major achievements of Air Officer has been the finalisation of deal with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, wherein he orchestrated a modus operandi to modernize and enhance the operational communication of the IAF. The entire project for the Indian Air Force is being funded by Ministry of Communication & IT at a cost of approximately Rs 650 crore. It was his special management skills which resulted in conclusion of the project to lay fibre optic cables and end equipment at 152 locations in the IAF, in return for releasing additional bandwidth for civil mobile operators. Air Commodore Basu has thus laid the foundation for an 'Information Expressway' with the state-of-the-art communication equipment, to meet the operational requirements of the IAF for the next 20 years. The Project definition includes structured cabling an optical fibre across 152 IAF locations and end-to-end secured communication solutions based on voice-data-video convergence, integrated messaging system, implementation of Data centers and high-speed backup SATCOM system.

For his distinguished service of high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Air Commodore Prashid Basu.

Group Captain Jagjeet Singh (14814) AE (L) was commissioned on 03 Jan 77 in the Engineering branch of the IAF. In 29 years of distinguished service, he has held several appointments that include Senior Technical Officer of both a flying squadron as well as SAM-HI Squadron, CO of Technical Type Training School, Chief Engineering Officer of an ab-initio flying training institute and Senior Technical Instructor at Air Force Technical College. He has also been the OC of Technical Support Squadron at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment. He holds a post-graduate degree in Engineering and Post Graduate Diploma in Material Management.

The officer was initially trained on Pechora system and after a long tenure of 14 years was brought into aircraft stream. Due to his dedication and hard work, the officer quickly adjusted to the nuances of tarmac and manmanagement and made a place for himself in Mirage fleet. As CO of Mirage Technical Type Training School in Apr 98, he was responsible for introduction of state of art training aids and conduct of environmental studies on Mirage-2000 aircraft. In Mar 02, the officer was posted to Air Force Academy (AFA) as Chief Engineering Officer, where basic flying training is imparted to the cadets. The job demanded foresightedness, sustained dedication and professional competence. His tenure at AFA was extremely successful with regard to efficient management of resources to meet time bound flying training task.

During his tenure at Air HQ as Director of Engineering Mirage since 20 Dec 04, the officer was responsible for techno-logistics maintenance of the Mirage fleet which involves import and indigenous procurement beside managing high fleet serviceability and repair and overhaul of items. Some of the major projects which were perceived during this period are induction of ten additional aircraft, ageing study on Mirage-2000 aircraft, updation of Depot Level Maintenance documentation and overhaul of Main Fuel Control Unit.

The officer has an experience of more than 10 years in the maintenance of Mirage-2000 fleet. He has an extra ordinary capacity for hard work and determination. He is a gogetter who can be trusted upon to undertake any type of task. The officer with his foresight, accurate planning and perseverance, was able to provide a new direction to the personnel of his Directorate.

For his distinguished service of high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Jagjeet Singh.

Group Captain Divakar Paul Upot (15544) F (P) was commissioned as a pilot in the Flying Branch on 30 Dec 78. He has held the appointments of the CO of a fighter squadron, Directing Staff at TACDE and College of Air Warfare and the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of a premier flying base. The officer is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. He did his post graduation in Military Studies from the College of Defence Management.

As COO of Air Force Station Adampur, the officer earned a reputation for himself for his proactive approach and vision. He worked tirelessly to provide a safe flying environment with improved quality of flying and handled numerous Air exercises professionally that kept the combat units at the base in a high state of operational readiness. This resulted in the station being declared as the Best Operational Wing for two consecutive years.

Gp Capt Upot was specially selected to serve as Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff in Jan 05. As Staff Officer, he was instrumental in meticulous planning of the daily programme/appointments of the CAS, visits within and outside the country, preparation of visit reports, speeches, addresses and various other activities that ensured smooth functioning of the Secretariat. His professional competence and managerial skill was at work in the secretariat as not only he himself worked relentlessly to perfection but guided other Staff Officers and Staff to follow his footsteps.

For his distinguished service of a high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Divakar Paul Upot.

Group Captain Prabir Chakraborty (15632) AE (L) was commissioned on 01 Jan 79 in the Engineering Branch of IAF. In the 27 years of distinguished service, he has held several important assignments that include Senior Technical Officer at Institute of Aviation Medicine and Command ADGES Maintenance Officer at HQ Maintenance Command before taking over as Director ADGES (Radar) at Air HQ.

The officer is trained on THD-1955 Radars, which is the backbone of Air Defence in the IAF. He has been intensively involved during the installation of three THD radars and has had extensive tenures in THD Radar units in various capacities. His professional acumen combined with vast knowledge, hands-onexperience and competence has resulted in betterment of the THD systems in the IAF.

Major overhaul and upgradation of THD1955 is a highly skill oriented and intricate technical activity demanding extensive coordination, monitoring and correction. The activity used to be completed in a period of 6-8 months. During Sep 05, the officer, drawing upon his skills and expertise, evolved an ambitious plan of carrying out overhaul of these radars and their upgradation together in an integrated manner. By utilising appropriate management and production techniques, he was able to get the task completed in just three months, thus preparing a new template for such an activity. This not only increased the radar availability in the IAF but also resulted in significant saving of manpower. His singular skills and expertise have resolved numerous technical snags in the system. His experience in the system has also led to avoiding over-provisioning, which would have led to unnecessary expenditure and non-moving stocks.

The officer is a thorough professional, highly motivated and has tremendous ability to impart knowledge to others. He is a good organiser and has organised numerous workshops on the system for enhancing field-level knowledge and skill. He has repeatedly exhibited singularly laudable performance, which has enhanced Air Defence capabilities of IAF.

For his distinguished service of high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Prabir Chakraborty.

Wing Commander Anup Kumar Varshneya (17077) Edn/PJI was commissioned on 29 Dec 82 in the Education branch of IAF. During his 24 years of service he has held important field and instructional appointments which includes security officer of forward air field, Para Jump Instructor at PTS Agra, Chief Instructor at Aviation Research Centre, WTI, AF and ATI, AF. He is presently posted as Joint Director (Garud) at Air HQ with effect from 30 June 2003.

The officer is a Para Jump Instructor with vast experience. His contribution towards training Army personnel in night free fall is well recognized. He holds the national record for Canopy Relative Work and has a mention in Limca book of world record for highest altitude Jump from 28,000 AMSL. He has successfully innovated and pioneered the development of the popular diamond formation. He has also participated in joint exercises with Combat Free Fall team of USA. His achievements in Para trooping have been par excellence. He has more than 1450 jumps to his credit.

The officer was responsible for the uphill task of conceptualization, planning and raising of the Special Forces of IAF whose philosophy, ethics and doctrine were hitherto unfamiliar to IAF. Faced with this mammoth task, with commendable dispatch, professional maturity and visionary zeal he set about his task. It is due to his indefatigable enthusiasm that the prestigious training facility of "Garud Regimental Training Centre" was established with several novel features. The officer tirelessly monitored and coordinated the operational training of Garuds with SF of Army, NSG and SFF in such a manner that enabled the newly inducted Garuds to achieve operational status within shortest span of time.

The officer contributed immensely to the development of a Joint Operational training Philosophy and helped the Garuds to achieve at par rating with other more seasoned SF Forces. Due to his exemplary efforts, the onerous task of operationally scheduling, training and deploying Garud flights at operational bases in J&K Sector become a spic and span activity. Notwithstanding the meager preparatory time available, he fine-tuned the capability of Garuds to lethal and precision operations in a risk-prone environ ment, when the Govt directed to dispatch a Garud flight to Congo as part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission.

For his pioneering and yeoman contribution to the training of 'Garuds' Special Forces of IAF, his organizing ability, initiative and distinguished service of high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Wing Commander Anup Kumar Varshneya.

Group Captain Diptendu Choudhury (17335) F (P) was commissioned in the IAF on 22 Dec 83 and has been on the posted strength of the Dte of Air staff Inspection wef 26 Jun 04. The officer has approximately 3000 hours of active fighter flying and is current with 'Master Green' rating on MiG-21 (T-75 & 96), MiG-29 and SU-30 aircraft. He has commanded a fighter squadron, worked as staff at TACDE and had been the Chief Operations Officer of a fighter base prior to being posted as Joint Director Flying at the Dte of Air Staff Inspection.

The officer has immensely contributed towards making the IAF more effective. His thought provoking service papers on Review of Op Employment of SU-30 aircraft, Op Capability of MiG-29 aircraft, Imperatives of Future Fighter Operations and Rebasing Concept have been well appreciated at all levels. The officer has also put in dedicated work towards revising inspection procedures, improvement in inspection pattern, interactive visits to Air/Command HQ and DG's review during AF Commanders' Conference.

An extremely hard working and sincere officer who has been professionally well groomed as a fighter pilot. The officer had to shoulder the responsibility as a Director for almost a year and was therefore, in the centre stage during all inspections. Single-handed he planned and co-ordinated the conduct of 'Best Combat Unit' competition of Fighter Sqns in the most professional manner and has been the active member of the Flying Team while inspecting Wings and Sqns. The vast and varied flying experience of the officer would be a dream for any Air Defence pilot, yet his unassuming but firm display of professional attributes is a true reflection of a thorough bred professional. The Director General Staff Instructions was last revised in the year 1999. The officer took it upon himself to undertake the mammoth task of its revision and re-issue. The list of contributions made by the officer for improvement in work efficiency and operational thinking to make the IAF more effective is never ending.

For his outstanding professional competence, extreme dedication and distinguished service of high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Diptendu Choudhury.

Wing Commander Pankaj Mohan Sinha (17842) F (P) was commissioned on 14 Jun 85. He is presently posted to Air HQ (DPO) as the JDPO-l (F). He is a A-2 QFI, Fighter Strike Leader and IRIE. He is the graduate of DSSC and has undergone the Air Weapons Controllers Courses and bagged two trophies at DSSC. He was awarded the 'Top Graduate' in the course at USA. He has served as a DS at TACDE.

The officer commanded a fighter Sqn from 11 Nov 02 to 19 Jul 04. His personal involvement and sound leadership had enabled the Sqn to achieve a high degree of excellence. Due to runway re-surfacing at parent base, the Sqn Operated for more than a year at Purnea. Fighter flying was carried out for the first time from this base. The Sqn under his leadership set up the flying operations at the base and conducted full fledged operations with limited support services. Notwiths tanding the trying circumstances, the Sqn was selected from EAC to participate in the 'Best Fighter Sqn' competition for 2004-05. DASI particularly commented upon the high espirit-de-corps and cohesiveness of the Sqn during the Vayu Spradha competition.

In his present appointment as the JDPO 1 (F), he has utilized his vast experience to bring about a quantum change in the area of human resource management, He has balanced the service requirements and individual needs in a mature manner. He has flawlessly conducted the Sqn Cdrs and Flt Cdrs Board and lateral communication with all Op-directorates, which has greatly enhanced the quality of staff work and has worked with commitment towards career planning of junior officers. With his deep understanding of Flying Operations and Flying Safety, he initiated the process for placement of SFSIOs by selection/merit. This has been greatly appreciated by the organi zation, since this would have a salutary effect on Flight Safety management. The officer has been instrumental in formulating the Human Resource Policy for Weapon System Operators and for induction of UAV pilots. He has provided valuable inputs through research and his own knowledge. Recently he underwent a course at Joint Forces Staff College in USA, wherein he earned laudatory evaluations from the Directing Staff. The course report especially remarked upon his exceptional oral and written communication skills, outstanding leadership and high degree of professionalism.

For his distinguished service of a high order, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Wing Commander Pankaj Mohan Sinha.

Air Commodore Swapan Samaddar (14538) Accts was commissioned in Jun 76 and is presently serving as Principal Director Accounts. The Officer has rich and varied experience in accounting matters gained over his 31 years of colorful service. The Air Officer has left his indelible mark of excellence in the various establishments he had served so far. For his exceptional devotion to duty and keen sense of involvement which resulted in substantial saving of Foreign Exchange he was commended by the CAS on 15 Aug 86.

His perseverance, hard work, intelligent and rational interpretation of rules and indefatigable drive has contributed in achieving several milestones for this directorate. Introduction of the concept of Mobile Accounts Squadron, Revision of syllabus for ab-initio training of Officers and Airmen of Accounts branch, timely posting of data by Accounts personnel in all Phase-1 IMMOLS sites, training of personnel for EQUOLS operation, fine tuning and implementation of e-audit and DACL software, renewed thrust for development of software for various Non Public Funds are some of the achievements by the Air Officer.

With his extraordinary inter personal skills the Air Officer has created an excellent relationship with audit authorities from grass root to apex level. This has resulted in clearing many complex policy matters pending with audit authorities for the last several years and hence brought in the desired efficiency in the system.

The Air Officer has been continuously pursuing excellence in all the activities undertaken by him. He has contributed tremendously in streamlining the procedure of the clearance of Traveling Allowance advances due to which a large number of old/ chronic advances as per the records of CDA (AF) could be cleared. Due to his broad vision, constructive approach and enthusiasm to bring in improvements, the Air Officer brought about the change wherein the authority to accord regularization sanction for Temporary Duty moves have been delegated to the local Unit Commanders. This has benefited the AF Officers at large by curtailing the delays in obtaining the subject sanctions from Command HQ besides huge monetary savings.

For his distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Air Commodore Swapan Samaddar.

Group Captain Dinesh Dhawan (15403) F (P) was commissioned as a Fighter Pilot in the IAF on 07 Jul 78. In his 28 years of distinguished service, he has held several key appointments that include Commanding Officer of MiG21M Sqn, Chief Operational Officer of Air Force Station Bhuj and Leh and Deputy Director of Weapons at Air HQ. He underwent Fighter Combat Leader Course in 1991 and was awarded the Sword of Honour for standing first in the course. He is a graduate of DSSC and was awarded Commendation by CAS in 1995. He is working as Director Weapons at Air HQ since Sep 05.

Gp Capt Dinesh Dhawan has always worked towards improving the operational efficiency of the weapons in the IAF. As Director Weapons, he took up the challenge to equip IAF aircraft with lethal and potent weapons. With his initiative, foresight and intelligence, he undertook the review of consolidated War Waging Reserves of air launched weapons required for the entire IAF in the XTH & XITH Plan. Meticulous planning regarding weapon to target matching, weapon to aircraft matching and incorporation of large number of Stand Off weapons & PGMs is the highlight of his review and it reflects the professional acumen of the officer. He carried out detailed calculations for weapons required for all the Ground Attack and Air Defence campaigns. He obtained Government approval for scaling of the air launched weapons of the IAF through his dynamic spirit and commitment. The consolidated plan of War Waging Reserve weapons will enhance the war fighting potential of the IAF.

Under his leadership, the review of publication dealing with air to ground ranges was taken up. He was instrumental in the conduct of live bomb trials to establish the fragment distribution of weapons. These scientific calculations resulted in the reduction of danger area requirement for air-toground ranges and have led to their enhanced utilisation. For his distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Dinesh Dhawan.

Group Captain Chambala Karai Ranjan (16015) Med was commissioned in IAF as Medical Officer on 03 Mar 80. In 26 years of distinguished service, he has held important appointments as Senior Medical Officer at Air Force Stations, Professor at Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bangalore and is presently working as Director Medical Services (Aviation Medicine) at Air Headquarters and also holding the appointment of Secretary, Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine. He is a postgraduate in Aviation Medicine and Hos pital Management and graduate of DSSC. He was commended by AOC-in-C, SWAC in 1992.

He is a dedicated professional endowed with marked analytical and conceptual skills. His extensive work in aeromedical research and training especially in the fields of environmental stress, visual vigilance, hyperbaric medicine and inflight rations for long duration fighter flying bear ample testimony to his involvement in finding solutions to the modem aircrew's problems. His organising ability, innovation and professionalism in the face of daunting odds helped save many precious lives through efficient management of casualties at Vavuniya, Sri Lanka during 'OP PAWAN' and at AF Station, Pune in the aftermath of Bhuj earthquake.

As Secretary General of the prestigious 54th International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine which was held in India after 12 years at Bangalore in Sep 2006, his foresight and organising skills ensured that the conference was of a high calibre and well appreciated. The Congress not only brought international recognition to the aviation medicine fraternity in India, but also showcased the best of lAF's multidimensional capability earning the service exceptional international goodwill. For his distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Chambala Karai Ranjan.

Group Captain Pramod Kumar Tayal (16751) AE (L) was commissioned as an Engineer in the Technical Branch on 08 Feb 1982. He has held appointments of STO of a MiG-27 Sqn, Engineering Officer in Eastern Air Command, Chief Instructor at a MiG-27 Technical Type Training School and Electronic Warfare Range, Gwalior. He has undergone courses on MiG-21and MiG-27 ac maintenance, EW system maintenance, network administration and cyber terrorism. He is a Post Graduate in Reliability Engineering from 1IT, Kharagpur. He was awarded commendation by AOC-in-C in 2002.

He functioned as the Director Ops (Information & Electronic Warfare). During his tenure, he was assigned the task of improving the operational capability of the IAF. In order to achieve the assigned task, he concentrated on upgradation of the fleets with EW systems, training of aircrew and exploitation of the EW systems in peace time.

His untiring efforts have yielded encouraging results and exploitation of EW systems has exhibited a definite upward trend in the operational Squadrons. One of the basic reasons for the success of the international exercise is full exploitation of on-board EW systems. Automation of SIGINT data analysis project is nearing completion, after which the data from all the SIGINT units of the IAF would be collected, collated, sifted and analysed automatically thus providing real time Electronic Order of Battle.

For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Pramod Kumar Tayal.

Group Captain Anil Kumar Gupta (16942) AE (M) was commissioned in the Engineering Branch of IAF on 19 Aug 82.

He is a post graduate in Aerospace Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur and is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College and College of Naval Warfare. His past appointments include Engineering Officer of a Kiran and Mirage Squadron, Chief Engineer at a BRD, SE (M) of Air Force Station and Director at Air HQs. He has been commended by CAS for bringing up the serviceability of Kiran aircraft. He has also undergone a course abroad on Mirage fleet.

As Director Engineering 'B', he is responsible for maintenance of Transport aircraft and Helicopters of Western origin. His efforts have resulted in smooth operation alisation of Advanced Light Helicopter and induction of Embraer aircraft into IAF. The tasks involved finalisation of maintenance support contracts, manpower planning, training, setting up of MCF facilities and positioning of requisite number of spares for commencement of operations. The officer, with his initiative and systematic approach ensured completion of the above tasks in given time frames and enabled commencement of aircraft operations, within stipulated timeframes. Through his proactive approach and excellent liaison, he has been successful in converting demands from Embraer operating units, to indents in record time and has thus ensured a high "Serviceability" of this aircraft. He is also successfully managing the maintenance issues involved in induction of Boeing Business Jets, scheduled to be received from Apr 08 onwards.

The officer has also contributed to Flight Safety by procurement of modern Eddy Current Testers for detection of cracks on wheel hubs of Avro aircraft.

For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Anil Kumar Gupta.

Group Captain Inder Bir Singh Sadana (17280) AE (M) was commissioned in Engineering Branch on 22 Aug 83. During abinitio course the officer was awarded Sword of Honour, President's Plaque and CAS medal for being best all round officer and standing first in AE (M) and GST. The officer stood first in ME (Mech) course from Pune University and brought laurels to IAF. He also stood first in MiG-21 T-96 TETTRA course.

The officer published a textbook 'Principles of Warhead' for Master of Engineering courses during his tenure at IAT. As JD Eng B at Air HQs, the officer was instrumental in enhancing the Chetak/Cheetah fleet serviceability to about 80%. Number of operating units achieved 100% serviceability with his personal efforts. He was also instrumental in number of modifications and upgrades of Chetak/ Cheetah fleet to enhance their Flight Safety record. As CEO of Air Force Station Sarsawa, with his meticulous planning, involvement and foresight, the complete laying of cables of main runway was achieved without joints resulting in minimal resistance loss and the Airfield Lighting project in the Station was successfully completed in time. With his involvement, planning and efforts 117 HU at base twice achieved 100% serviceability including once for a record period of 27 days.

As Director Flight Safety w.e.f. 19 Jul 07, the officer has been instrumental in closing of number of old pending incident/accident cases. The officer has contributed immensely towards flight safety by providing accurate and correct analysis of incidents and accidents. His proactive approach and interaction with other investigating agencies has been instrumental in prompt implementation of remedial measures to enhance flight safety. The lectures delivered by the officer on flight safety issues at various forums were well-received, appreciated and brought important flight safety issues in focus. As member of tri service committee on engine failures of Chetak/ Cheetah fleet, his expertise has resulted in resolving number of issues. The officer was instrumental in compilation of various fleet compendiums in the directorate.

Recognising the potential and dedication, the officer is in addition entrusted with Integrated Flight Safety Management software development project and organisation of International Flight Safety Conference. His indepth knowledge of the system and involvement resulted in a comprehensive user interface design for the software project. His involvement resulted in timely approval for holding IFSCON and dispatch of invitations to representatives of sixty countries from whom the response is very positive.

For the zeal, enthusiasm, dedication and distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Inder Bir Singh Sadana.

Wing Commander Kanjithanda Bopanna Karumbaya (18074) F (P) was commissioned into the IAF on 06 Dec 85 and has been on the posted strength of the Dte of Air Staff Inspection wef 12 Jul 04. The officer has approximately 3000 h of active fighter flying and has flown almost all the fighter aircraft on the IAF inventory. He has an accident free, flight safety record and is the recipient of the 'Three Star' flight safety award. He had commanded a frontline Fighter Squadron and served as a Directing Staff at TACDE.

The professional record of the officer has been outstanding. He was adjudged 'Best in Flying' and 'Best in Aerobatics' during his basic training. In MOFTU, he was adjudged 'Best in Ground Subjects' and 'Best Overall'. During the FCL course he was adjudged the 'Best FCL' and 'Best in Instructional'. In his Staff College entrance exam he stood First in the order of merit and has undergone the Staff Course at Joint Services Command and Staff College, UK. While he commanded the Sqn, his Sqn was adjudged 'Above Average' in Air Operations.

The officer has contributed immensely to raise the professional standards of the IAF. While being posted as staff at TACDE he was involved in various weapon trials and tactics development. With his wide-ranging experience on Air Defence as well as Ground Attack aircraft, he is the backbone of the flying inspection team. With his analytical approach he has rendered many practical recommendations, which have been accepted and factored in the macro planning of the IAF. His critical analysis of problems in the field related to flying, maintenance, weak aircrew management; environment has enabled the IAF to take timely corrective actions. During Aug 06, he has presented a paper on measure of combat potential of IAF. Recommendations of this paper has been utilised towards deriving important force structure analysis. The officer was instrumental in the conduct of an important AF level exercise during Sep 06 and gleaning out valuable lesson for the IAF. The officer's professional ability and competence stands out.

For his outstanding achievements in fighter operations, invaluable contributions to the service and distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Wing Commander Kanjithanda Bopanna Karumbaya.

Wing Commander Nirmalendu Rath (18534) AE (L) was commissioned in the IAF in 1986. He is SU-30 qualified and a PG in Comp Sc & Engg. He has been DS in ADGES TI. In Low Level Radar Networking Group (LRNG), he was among the firsts to transmit INDRA RADAR Data through INSAT D satellite. He was trained on FDR of SU-30K ac in Russia in 1997 after which he had set up FDR facility of the SU-30K fleet in the IAF. The vertical acceleration (N) analysis (cyclic loading) software, developed by him, enabled the IAF to draw the Ny profile of each SU- 30K ac. During his tenure as CO of Service Support Centre, Pune, he had improvised the recording of Voice Warning System of SU- 30K ac by use of PC. He has developed a software for Message Management in the flying bases of the IAF. Presently, he is posted at Dte of Personnel Planning (DPP) since 20 Jun 05 as JDPP (EDP & Records).

Soon after taking charge as JDPP (EDP & Records), he successfully developed a very user-friendly front-end package. The package has provision of viewing information for Officers, Airmen, NCs (E) and Civilians in unit, command, IAF based formats. He developed the package single handedly, by putting over 3000 hard man-hours. The software would have cost several lakhs, if it was to be developed by vendor. In-house development of the package has the added advantage of availability of technology catering to the future needs of the IAF. In year 2006, he developed another exclusive Oracle module for implementation of the additional posts sanctioned. The Module not only enabled unit-wise distribution of additional posts but, with direct merger with the EInfo System, facilitated automatic updation. Thus, Air HQ was able to accurately complete implementation of additional posts, within six months, a task, which otherwise would have lingered on for years.

Earlier he was also instrumental in implementing AVSC-I, wherein all UEs of IAF were revised based on Govt. sanction so as to synergize authorization and actual postings. From Nov 06, he has developed another complex software package. The package took 3500 man hours to conceptualize, design, code and test to bring it to this functional level. Most recently he has embarked upon upgrading the hardware by setting up two new servers to handle these extensive software and meet the futuristic requirements of the IAF. For his distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Wing Commander Nirmalendu Rath.