Nice one. Looks like the official strike, but these are not made by the mint but, rather, by several private manufacturers. Some day, it may be poissible to sort out who made what. So far as I know only medals to officers are named (like the OP Vijay star and medal) and this is very sad. But with regiments naming their own medals (in all degrees of quality and in multiple languages) who knows what will surface. Still seeking both a named specimen and a group with this, but most of the recipients are still in service. Soon . . . . Having been in India at the time of this deployment (and a very tense time it was!) and having talked with the folks who designed this one (and the OP Vijay star and m3edal) I think it is fair to say that the desiign process (to say nothing of the deployment) was a very political undertaking, carried out (the medal design, that is) by a clueless crowd who, however well-interntioned, were absolutely ignorant of India's phaleristic history and conventions. At best, this should have been a clasp to the Special Duty Medal, but . . . :bamnger: . Yes, would estimate 500K more or less total awards. Many were cranked out by enterprising military tailors and the "variability" would make a strong person weep. Also, the unbalanced ribbon leads to chaos (to put it delicately) in the way ribbon bars and, I presume, medal mountings have been executed.