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The Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India) is the highest civilian award in the Republic of India. Instituted on January 2, 1954, it is awarded in recognition of exceptional service or performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour.
Each year, the Prime Minister nominates three recipients for the award. Winners receive a certificate called a Sanad, signed by the President. The medallion for the Bharat Ratna is shaped like a peepal leaf. Initially, the award focused on arts, literature, science, and public service, but in 2011, the Government expanded its scope to include any field of human endeavour.
The Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian honor, awarded for exceptional contributions in fields like public service, arts, science, literature, and sports. Here’s an overview of the eligibility and selection criteria:
The Bharat Ratna is awarded for exceptional service in:
The Bharat Ratna can be awarded posthumously to honor individuals who have passed away but made lasting contributions to the nation.
There is no fixed number of recipients each year. The decision rests with the President of India, based on the merit of the nominees.
A person can receive the Bharat Ratna Award only once. Re-awarding an individual is not allowed.
In rare instances, the Bharat Ratna Award may be given in extraordinary cases of national importance, such as posthumous recognition or in transformative historical contexts.
While the Bharat Ratna Award is intended to recognize genuine contributions, there have been discussions about the political influence on the selection process.
In 1954, these exceptional individuals received the Bharat Ratna for their outstanding contributions and service to the nation. Their legacy continues to inspire generations of Indians.
| Recipients (State/UT) | Year | About |
| C. Rajagopalachari/ Rajaji (Tamil Nadu) | 1954 | Lawyer, statesman, and activist |
| Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan (Tamil Nadu) | 1954 | First Vice-President and Second President of India |
| C. V. Raman (Tamil Nadu) | 1954 | Mathematicians, scientists, and physicists |
| Bhagwan Das (Uttar Pradesh) | 1955 | Educationist, activist, and philosopher |
| M. Visvesvaraya (Karnataka) | 1955 | Mysore’s Diwan, statesman, and civil engineer |
| Jawaharlal Nehru (Uttar Pradesh) | 1955 | Author and activist who held the position of Indian prime minister |
| Govind Ballabh Pant (Uttarakhand) | 1957 | First Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and activist |
| Dhondo Keshav Karve (Maharashtra) | 1958 | Social activist and Educator |
| Bidhan Chandra Roy (West Bengal) | 1961 | Social worker, educator, philanthropist, politician, and physician |
| Purushottam Das Tandon (Uttar Pradesh) | 1961 | Speaker of the United Provinces Legislative Assembly and activist |
| Rajendra Prasad (Bihar) | 1962 | Activist, lawyer, statesman, and scholar |
| Zakir Husain (Andhra Pradesh) | 1963 | Activist, economist, and education philosopher served as a Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and the Governor of Bihar |
| Pandurang Vaman Kane (Maharashtra) | 1963 | Indian scholar and Sanskrit expert, renowned for his five-volume literary composition |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri (Uttar Pradesh) | 1966 | Activist and served as the second Prime Minister of India |
| Indira Gandhi (Uttar Pradesh) | 1971 | India’s first female prime minister |
| V. V. Giri (Odisha) | 1975 | Trade Unionist |
| K. Kamaraj (Tamil Nadu) * | 1976 | Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and independence fighter |
| Mother Teresa (West Bengal, born in North Macedonia) | 1980 | The founder of the Missionaries of Charity and a Catholic nun |
| Vinoba Bhave (Maharashtra) | 1983 | Social reformer, activist, and close friend of Mahatma Gandhi |
| Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Pakistan) | 1987 | First non-citizen and activist for independence |
| M. G. Ramachandran (Tamil Nadu) | 1988 | Actor turned politician and Tamil Nadu chief minister |
| B.R. Ambedkar (Maharashtra) | 1990 | Social reformer, Dalit activist, principal drafter of the Indian Constitution, and the nation’s first law minister. |
| Nelson Mandela(South Africa) | 1990 | Head of the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement and President of South Africa |
| Rajiv Gandhi (Uttar Pradesh) | 1991 | India’s ninth prime minister |
| Vallabhbhai Patel (Gujarat) | 1991 | First Deputy Prime Minister of India and activist |
| Morarji Desai (Gujarat) | 1991 | Prime Minister of India and activist |
| Abul Kalam Azad (West Bengal) | 1992 | First Minister of Education and an activist |
| J. R. D. Tata (Maharashtra) | 1992 | Businessman and a philanthropist |
| Satyajit Ray (West Bengal) | 1992 | A director, filmmaker, writer, novelist |
| Gulzarilal Nanda (Punjab) | 1997 | Activist and the interim Prime Minister of India |
| Aruna Asaf Ali (West Bengal) | 1997 | Activist |
| A.P.J Abdul Kalam (Tamil Nadu) | 1997 | Aerospace and defense scientist |
| M. S. Subbulakshmi (Tamil Nadu) | 1998 | Carnatic classical vocalist |
| Chidambaram Subramaniam (Tamil Nadu) | 1998 | Activist and the Agriculture Minister of India |
| Jayaprakash Narayan (Bihar) | 1999 | Activist and social reformer |
| Amartya Sen (West Bengal) | 1999 | Economist |
| Gopinath Bordoloi (Assam) | 1999 | Activist |
| Ravi Shankar (Uttar Pradesh) | 1999 | Musician, sitar player |
| Lata Mangeshkar (Maharashtra) | 2001 | Singer |
| Bismillah Khan (Uttar Pradesh) | 2001 | Hindustani classical shehnai player |
| Bhimsen Joshi (Karnataka) | 2009 | Hindustani classical vocalist |
| C. N. R. Rao (Karnataka) | 2014 | Chemist and professor, author |
| Sachin Tendulkar (Maharashtra) | 2014 | Cricketer |
| Madan Mohan Malaviya (Uttar Pradesh) | 2015 | Scholar and educational reformer |
| Atal Bihari Bajpayee (Madhya Pradesh) | 2015 | Nine times elected Lok Sabha , and twice Rajya Sabha member, and Former Prime Minister of India for three terms |
| Pranab Mukherjee (West Bengal) | 2019 | Former President of India |
| Nanaji Deshmukh (Maharashtra) | 2019 | Social activist |
| Bhupen Hazarika (Assam) | 2019 | Playback singer, lyricist, musician, singer, poet, and filmmaker from Assam |
| Karpoori Thakur(Bihar) | 2024 | Former Chief Minister of Bihar |
| Lal Krishna Advani | 2024 | Former Bhartiya Janta Party Leader |
| MS Swaminathan(Thiruvananthapuram) | 2024 | Father of Green Revolution |
| Chaudhary Charan Singh(Uttar Pradesh) | 2024 | Former Prime minister who championed the farming industry and protected farmers’ rights |
| PV Narasimha Rao(Andhra Pradesh) | 2024 | Former Prime Minister |
The Bharat Ratna medallion is a unique and symbolic object of prestige.
A few people have received posthumous Bharat Ratna Awards. That is to say, they received their honor after passing away. The list of Bharat Ratna awardees who received posthumous honors is provided here.
Over the period spanning from 1954 to 2024, several Presidents of India have been recipients of the prestigious Bharat Ratna Award. Among the 48 esteemed awardees, six Indian Presidents received the Bharat Ratna Award. The table below shows their names and the respective years when they were conferred with this honor:
| Presidents of India | Year of Award |
| Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan | 1954 |
| Rajendra Prasad | 1962 |
| Zakir Hussain | 1963 |
| A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | 1997 |
| Dr. V V Giri | 1975 |
| Pranab Mukherjee | 2019 |
The Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, is a mark of great honor and recognition. However, it does not come with monetary rewards or special legal privileges. Here are the key benefits and privileges that recipients of the Bharat Ratna enjoy:
The Bharat Ratna, India’s top civilian award, was started in 1954. Anyone with the Bharat Ratna Award has contributed to improving humanity in any field, like science, literature, arts, public service, and sports, regardless of their job, gender, or racism. The Bharat Ratna Award can be given to three people annually. The winners receive the award from the Indian President.
The Bharat Ratna Award has been given to 16 persons posthumously. It means the person who has died can also receive the Bharat Ratna Award for their great contributions. As you have studied above, the list of Awardees all played an important role in the betterment of our country. We must take inspiration from them and always do hard work.
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53 people have received the prize since 1954, including 18 who received it posthumously. In January 1966, an amendment to the original rules enabled the posthumous recognition of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. He became the first person to receive such an honor.
In 1954, the Bharat Ratna provision was instituted. Famous scientists Dr. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, lawyer and independence campaigner C. Rajagopalachari, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s first vice president, were the first to receive the esteemed honor.
As of now, the Indian government has made no official announcement about Bharat Ratna awardees for 2025. While there is speculation about potential recipients, no names have been confirmed. The Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, is usually announced in January or February and conferred by the President of India.
Shrimati Indira Gandhi became the first female recipient of the Bharat Ratna award. She is referred to as India’s “Iron Lady.” She is India’s first female prime minister and its third overall.
Sachin Tendulkar became the youngest recipient of the Bharat Ratna in 2014 at the age of 40. He received India’s highest civilian award for his exceptional contribution to cricket and sports, making history as the first sportsperson and the youngest ever to be honored.
Renowned freedom fighter and political leader Jayaprakash Narayan is believed to have declined the Bharat Ratna. Additionally, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992, but the award was later withdrawn due to controversy over his death.
Since its inception in 1954, the Bharat Ratna has been awarded to five women . They are:
Indira Gandhi (1971): Former Prime Minister of India .
Mother Teresa (1980): Catholic nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity .
Aruna Asaf Ali (1997, Posthumous): Independence activist .
M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998): Carnatic classical vocalist .
Lata Mangeshkar (2001): Playback singer
The Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award, given to individuals for exceptional service in any field, including arts, literature, science, public service, and sports. Both Indian citizens and foreigners are eligible. The award recognizes outstanding contributions that benefit the nation or humanity at large.
Authored by, Muskan Gupta
Content Curator
Muskan believes learning should feel like an adventure, not a chore. With years of experience in content creation and strategy, she specializes in educational topics, online earning opportunities, and general knowledge. She enjoys sharing her insights through blogs and articles that inform and inspire her readers. When she’s not writing, you’ll likely find her hopping between bookstores and bakeries, always in search of her next favorite read or treat.
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