๐ Chapter 04 ยท Topic 01 ยท National Awards
Bharat Ratna
India’s highest civilian award โ criteria, notable recipients, firsts, posthumous awards, and recent recipients.
๐ About Bharat Ratna
- India’s highest civilian honour
- Instituted on 2 January 1954
- Awarded for exceptional service of the highest order to the nation โ in any field including arts, literature, science, public service, and sports (sports added in 2011)
- Maximum 3 awards per year
- Awarded by the President of India
- The award is a peepal leaf-shaped medallion with the sun and the words “Bharat Ratna” inscribed in Devanagari script
- Recipients are entitled to use “Bharat Ratna” before their name
- No monetary grant is associated with the award
- Recipients get a Z+ security cover and other privileges
๐ฅ Firsts in Bharat Ratna
| Category | Recipient | Year |
|---|---|---|
| First recipients | C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman | 1954 |
| First posthumous award | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1966 |
| First woman recipient | Indira Gandhi | 1971 |
| First non-Indian recipient | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi) | 1987 |
| Second non-Indian recipient | Nelson Mandela (South Africa) | 1990 |
| First sportsperson | Sachin Tendulkar | 2014 |
| Youngest recipient | Sachin Tendulkar (age 40) | 2014 |
๐ Notable Bharat Ratna Recipients
| Recipient | Year | Field |
|---|---|---|
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 1955 | Public service (first PM) |
| M. Visvesvaraya | 1955 | Engineering |
| Rajendra Prasad | 1962 | Public service (first President) |
| Zakir Husain | 1963 | Education (President) |
| Mother Teresa | 1980 | Social service |
| Vinoba Bhave (posthumous) | 1983 | Social service |
| B.R. Ambedkar (posthumous) | 1990 | Law, social justice |
| Rajiv Gandhi (posthumous) | 1991 | Public service |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (posthumous) | 1991 | Public service |
| Abul Kalam Azad (posthumous) | 1992 | Education, public service |
| J.R.D. Tata | 1992 | Industry |
| Satyajit Ray | 1992 | Cinema |
| A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | 1997 | Science |
| M.S. Subbulakshmi | 1998 | Music |
| Amartya Sen | 1999 | Economics (Nobel laureate) |
| Ravi Shankar | 1999 | Music |
| Bismillah Khan | 2001 | Music |
| Bhimsen Joshi | 2009 | Music |
| C.N.R. Rao | 2014 | Science |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2014 | Sports (cricket) |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 2015 | Public service (PM) |
| Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumous) | 2015 | Education |
| Karpoori Thakur (posthumous) | 2024 | Public service |
| L.K. Advani | 2024 | Public service |
| P.V. Narasimha Rao (posthumous) | 2024 | Public service (PM) |
| M.S. Swaminathan (posthumous) | 2024 | Agriculture (Green Revolution) |
| Chaudhary Charan Singh (posthumous) | 2024 | Public service (PM) |
โญ Bharat Ratna 2024 โ Five Recipients: In 2024, five Bharat Ratnas were announced: (1) Karpoori Thakur (posthumous) โ former Bihar CM, champion of OBC rights; (2) L.K. Advani โ BJP leader, former Deputy PM; (3) P.V. Narasimha Rao (posthumous) โ former PM who initiated 1991 economic reforms; (4) M.S. Swaminathan (posthumous) โ father of India’s Green Revolution; (5) Chaudhary Charan Singh (posthumous) โ former PM, champion of farmers’ rights.
โ Revision Checklist
โ
Bharat Ratna = highest civilian award = instituted 2 January 1954
โ Maximum 3 awards per year = awarded by President
โ First recipients (1954) = C. Rajagopalachari + S. Radhakrishnan + C.V. Raman
โ First posthumous = Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966)
โ First woman = Indira Gandhi (1971)
โ First non-Indian = Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987)
โ Second non-Indian = Nelson Mandela (1990)
โ First sportsperson = Sachin Tendulkar (2014)
โ 2024 recipients = Karpoori Thakur + L.K. Advani + P.V. Narasimha Rao + M.S. Swaminathan + Chaudhary Charan Singh
โ Maximum 3 awards per year = awarded by President
โ First recipients (1954) = C. Rajagopalachari + S. Radhakrishnan + C.V. Raman
โ First posthumous = Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966)
โ First woman = Indira Gandhi (1971)
โ First non-Indian = Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987)
โ Second non-Indian = Nelson Mandela (1990)
โ First sportsperson = Sachin Tendulkar (2014)
โ 2024 recipients = Karpoori Thakur + L.K. Advani + P.V. Narasimha Rao + M.S. Swaminathan + Chaudhary Charan Singh