Newe Delhi: Former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh along with agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan have been awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday (February 9).
In an unprecedented decision, the Modi government has announced a total of five recipients of the esteemed Bharat Ratna award for the year 2024. This marks the highest number of Bharat Ratna recipients in a single year since the award's establishment in 1954. Among the distinguished awardees of this year are former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, alongside agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan. Joining them in this prestigious recognition are veteran BJP leader LK Advani and former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, both of whom have made remarkable contributions to Indian politics and society.
Among the recipients, four will receive the honour posthumously, while Advani, aged 96, is the sole living recipient.
Here’s the list of the Bharat Ratna awardees so far:
Year Recipients
1954 C Rajagopalachari
1954 Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan
1954 CV Raman
1955 Bhagwan Das
1955 M Visvesvaraya
1955 Jawaharlal Nehru
1957 Govind Ballabh Pant
1958 Dhondo Keshav Karve
1961 Bidhan Chandra Roy
1961 Purushottam Das Tandon
1962 Dr Rajendra Prasad
1963 Dr Zakir Husain
1963 Pandurang Vaman Kane
1966 Lal Bahadur Shastri
1971 Indira Gandhi
1975 VV Giri
1976 K Kamaraj
1980 Mother Teresa
1983 Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
1987 Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
1988 MG Ramachandran
1990 BR Ambedkar
1990 Nelson Mandela
1991 Rajiv Gandhi
1991 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
1991 Morarji Desai
1992 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
1992 JRD Tata
1992 Satyajit Ray
1997 Gulzarilal Nanda
1997 Aruna Asaf Ali
1997 Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
1998 MS Subbulakshmi
1998 Chidambaram Subramaniam
1999 Jayaprakash Narayan
1999 Amartya Sen
1999 Gopinath Bordoloi
1999 Pandit Ravi Shankar
2001 Lata Mangeshkar
2001 Ustad Bismillah Khan
2009 Bhimsen Joshi
2014 CNR Rao
2014 Sachin Tendulkar
2015 Madan Mohan Malaviya
2015 Atal Bihari Vajpayee
2019 Pranab Mukherjee
2019 Nanaji Deshmukh
2019 Bhupen Hazarika
2024 Karpoori Thakur
2024 Lal Krishna Advani
2024 Chaudhary Charan Singh
2024 PV Narasimha Rao
2024 Dr MS Swaminathan
Karpoori Thakur, the renowned socialist leader and former Chief Minister of Bihar, will be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. Affectionately known as 'Jan Nayak' (people's leader), Thakur will be the 49th recipient of this esteemed award.
Lal Krishna Advani, a prominent politician and former Deputy Prime Minister, has served as the longest-tenured president of the Bharatiya Janata Party since its inception in 1980. During his extensive parliamentary career spanning nearly three decades, he held key positions such as Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's leadership from 1999 to 2004. On February 3, Prime Minister Modi announced Advani's upcoming reception of India's highest civilian honor.
Chaudhary Charan Singh, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, served as Prime Minister for a brief period but left a lasting impact with his dedication to agrarian issues. Similarly, MS Swaminathan, often hailed as the father of the Green Revolution in India, revolutionised agricultural practices and played a significant role in ensuring food security for the nation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his delight in sharing the news, emphasising the remarkable achievements and visionary leadership of each awardee. PV Narasimha Rao, renowned for his pivotal role in shaping India's economic landscape during his tenure as Prime Minister, is remembered as a distinguished scholar and statesman who served the nation extensively in various capacities.
PM Modi expressed great joy in honoring Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan posthumously with the Bharat Ratna, praising his transformative impact on Indian agriculture and farmer welfare. Swaminathan's visionary guidance revolutionised farming, ensuring food security and prosperity. The esteemed agronomist passed away last year.
The Bharat Ratna, instituted in 1954, recognises individuals for their exceptional service or performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavor. The Modi government's decision to confer this honor upon five individuals in a single year marks a historic moment, underscoring the significance of their contributions to the nation. /BI/
