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Awards & Honours Module

Bharat Ratna & Padma Awards

The Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards constitute the highest civilian honours of the Republic of India, instituted on 2 January 1954 by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The Bharat Ratna recognizes exceptional service of the highest order in any field of human endeavor, with the first three awards conferred upon C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Dr. C. V. Raman in 1954. Foreign recipients include Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990). The Padma Awards are classified in descending order of precedence: Padma Vibhushan (exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of high order), and Padma Shri (distinguished service). Under Article 18(1) of the Indian Constitution, these awards cannot be used as titles or prefixes to the recipient's name, as reaffirmed in the Balaji Raghavan Supreme Court ruling of 1995.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • The Bharat Ratna was instituted on 2 January 1954, with C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, and Dr. C. V. Raman as inaugural recipients.
  • Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990) are the only two non-Indian foreign nationals awarded the Bharat Ratna.
  • The three tiers of Padma Awards in descending order are Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
  • In the 1995 Balaji Raghavan case, the Supreme Court ruled that Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are national honours, not titles under Article 18.
  • Sachin Tendulkar became the youngest person and first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna in 2014 at age 40.
  • The Bharat Ratna medallion is shaped like a peepal leaf, crafted in bronze with a platinum sun emblem and the national motto 'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed in Devanagari script.
  • Indira Gandhi was the first woman to be conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1971, followed by Mother Teresa in 1980 and Aruna Asaf Ali in 1997.
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri was the first person to be posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1966.
  • Padma Awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day (25 January) and conferred by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
  • The maximum number of Bharat Ratna awards that can be conferred in a single calendar year is traditionally capped at three, though an exception of five was made in 2024.
  • Satyajit Ray was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1992, making him the first filmmaker to receive India's highest civilian decoration.
  • M.S. Subbulakshmi became the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1998, followed by Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1999 and Ustad Bismillah Khan in 2001.
  • Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1990 for his role as the chief architect of the Constitution of India and champion of social justice.
  • Nelson Mandela received the Bharat Ratna in 1990 before becoming the President of South Africa in 1994.
  • Morarji Desai is the only Indian national to be awarded both India's Bharat Ratna (1991) and Pakistan's highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Pakistan (1990).
  • In 2024, the Bharat Ratna was conferred upon five distinguished personalities: Karpoori Thakur, L.K. Advani, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and M.S. Swaminathan.
  • Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award of India, instituted alongside Bharat Ratna in 1954 for exceptional and distinguished service.
  • Satyendra Nath Bose, Nand Lal Bose, and Zakir Husain were among the inaugural recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in 1954.
  • Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award, recognizing distinguished service of a high order in any field.
  • Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award, awarded for distinguished service in fields such as arts, education, industry, literature, science, and public affairs.
  • The Padma Awards Committee is constituted annually by the Prime Minister of India and headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
  • Unlike most civilian honours, the Bharat Ratna decoration carries no monetary grant, but recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a bronze peepal leaf medallion.
  • In the Indian Order of Precedence, Bharat Ratna recipients are ranked seventh, ahead of Governors outside their respective states and cabinet ministers.
  • Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1955 for his pioneering engineering and nation-building contributions, whose birthday (September 15) is celebrated as Engineers' Day.
  • A.P.J. Abdul Kalam received the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his leadership in missile technology and India's civilian space program, five years before becoming President of India.
  • The Bharat Ratna was instituted on January 2, 1954, by the President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, as the nation's highest civilian honor.
  • The first three recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954 were C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Dr. C.V. Raman.
  • Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi) in 1987 and Nelson Mandela in 1990 are the only two foreign non-Indian citizens awarded the Bharat Ratna.
  • Mother Teresa was an Albanian-born naturalized Indian citizen when she received the Bharat Ratna in 1980.
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri was the first recipient to be conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1966.
  • Indira Gandhi became the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna in 1971, following India's victory in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
  • Sachin Tendulkar became the youngest recipient and the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna in 2014 at the age of 40.
  • Dhondo Keshav Karve was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1958 on his 100th birthday for pioneering women's education and widow welfare.
  • The Bharat Ratna medallion is shaped like a peepal leaf made of bronze with a platinum sun and the words 'Bharat Ratna' in Devanagari script.
  • The Padma Awards were instituted in 1954 and are classified into three descending tiers: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
  • Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service.
  • The Padma Awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day (January 25) and conferred by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
  • The maximum number of Bharat Ratna awards in a single calendar year was traditionally three, though five recipients were announced in 2024.
  • The five recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 2024 were Karpoori Thakur, L.K. Advani, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan.
  • The Bharat Ratna does not carry any monetary grant and does not constitute a title under Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India.
  • Recipients of the Bharat Ratna are ranked seventh in the Indian Order of Precedence, sharing rank with former Chief Ministers within their respective states.
  • The Padma Awards were suspended twice in history: from 1977 to 1980 under the Janata Party government and from 1992 to 1997 due to judicial challenges.
  • Padma Vibhushan recipient Satyajit Ray received the Bharat Ratna in 1992, shortly before his death and after winning an Honorary Oscar.
  • Ustad Bismillah Khan (shehnai maestro) and Pandit Ravi Shankar (sitar maestro) were conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2001 and 1999 respectively.
  • Lata Mangeshkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001, becoming the second female vocalist to receive it after M.S. Subbulakshmi in 1998.
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) were conferred the Bharat Ratna together in 2015.
  • Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika (both posthumously), and Pranab Mukherjee were conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2019.
  • M. Visvesvaraya, pioneering civil engineer and statesman, was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955, and his birthday (September 15) is observed as Engineers' Day.
  • Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990 by the V.P. Singh government.
  • Subhas Chandra Bose was posthumously announced for the Bharat Ratna in 1992, but it was withdrawn after the Supreme Court ruled on the lack of conclusive evidence of his death.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), National Portal of India, Supreme Court of India Judgments

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

What is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India?

Q2.EASY

Who were the three inaugural recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954?

Q3.EASY

Who was the first Indian woman to be awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1971?

Q4.MEDIUM

Who was the first non-Indian citizen to be conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1987?

Q5.MEDIUM

Who is the only person to have been awarded the Bharat Ratna, Nishan-e-Pakistan, and Padma Vibhushan?

Q6.EASY

Who was the first Carnatic classical vocalist and musician to be conferred the Bharat Ratna, receiving India's highest civilian award in 1998?

Q7.EASY

The medallion of the Bharat Ratna award is shaped like the leaf of which sacred Indian tree?

Q8.EASY

Which eminent philosopher, statesman, and second President of India was among the three inaugural recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954, whose birthday on 5 September is celebrated as National Teachers' Day?