Monetary Allowance for Widows of Gallantry Awards Recipients

Recipients of the gallantry awards are entitled to the monetary allowance as per the letter of 1972 of Ministry of Defence (MoD), superseded by letter in 1995 of the MoD, which have been revised from time to time. As per the existing condition for grant of monetary allowance, the allowance shall be admissible to the recipient of the award and on his death to his widow lawfully married by a valid ceremony. The widow will continue to receive the allowance until her re-marriage or death. The payment of the allowance will, however, be continued to a widow who re-marries the late husband’s brother and lives a communal life with the living heir eligible for family pension.

Representations were received from various quarters to remove the condition of the widow’s remarriage with the late husband’s brother for continuation of the monetary allowance.

This issue was considered by the Government of India and it has now been decided to remove the condition of the widow’s remarriage with the late husband’s brother for continuation of the monetary allowance vide MoD letter dated November 16, 2017.

The revised condition for grant of monetary allowance for recipients of gallantry awards is as under:-

The allowance shall be admissible to the recipient of the award and on his death to his widow lawfully married by a valid ceremony. The widow will continue to receive the allowance until her death.