PRAYAGRAJ: Making his native place Lucknow as the Sangam City in UP feel proud, an officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) by the President.
Group Captain Pradeep Sharma's name was announced for the coveted honour on the occasion of 74th Republic Day itself, but he was presented with a certificate and medal by the Chief of the Air Staff at the investiture ceremony held in New Delhi last week.
Presently, he is tending the post of director, personal, airmen in New Delhi.
In this position, he worked as a focal point in the Agnipath Scheme launched recently by the government of India.
His praiseworthy contribution in chalking out the entire induction scheme and other HR matters won him the VSM.
A resident of Aliganj in Lucknow, Sharma has done his schooling from Prayagraj’s Kendriya Vidyalaya New Cantt and later went to Government Inter College (GIC).
His desire to join the Indian armed forces was fuelled in his early childhood days when his father RL Sharma got posted as chief manager in Bank of Baroda's Civil Lines branch of Prayagraj.
Since his schooling was from KV New Cantt, which was surrounded by several units of the Indian Army, the desire to be part of forces made its place somewhere deep inside his heart.
Little did he know that years later, life would come back full circle for him and he would be posted at Central Air Command, Prayagraj.
After completing his intermediate from GIC, Prayagraj, Sharma did his further studies from Lucknow University (LU) and was selected in the Indian Air Force in 1994.
Since then he has never looked back and undertook many important assignments in a career span of 27 years, most noteworthy being during the Kargil war, instructor at Alma Mater, Air Force Academy and deputation to UN Mission.
Gp Capt Sharma’s wife Rachna Sharma was also on the rank of Group Captain in IAF before she took retirement and is now working towards brain empowerment of children in the society.
Being the first couple of their branch who made it to the rank of group captain, both husband and wife are the alumni of prestigious College of Defence Management.
Their daughter Arunima Sharma is employed in a multinational company in Mumbai and their son Arunav Sharma is pursuing his graduation from Hansraj College New Delhi.
