Awards Given By Government of India- Current affairs-English

Awards Given By Government of India

Awards & Honours are given both at individual & group level as a token of appreciation or recognition for extraordinary work. The government of India gives several honors every year to those who have achieved outstanding merit in their field.

Bharat Ratna:

Fig: Bharat Ratna (Peepal leaf-shaped medal)

• The title Bharat Ratna literally means "Jewel of India" & it is the highest civilian award bestowed by the Republic of India.

• It was first given in 1954.

• Bharat Ratna is awarded to exceptional individuals who have performed in the highest order.

• Although this award was originally given to those artists who had outstanding achievements in art, science, literature & public service, in 2011, the criteria were expanded to include "any field of human endeavor".

• The Prime Minister of India makes the recommendations to the President of India who chooses not more than three people in a particular year for the award.

• Although no money is given to the awardees, those who are chosen are given a peepal leaf-shaped medal & a certificate (sanad).

• According to the Indian Order of Precedence, those who are given Bharat Ratna are seventh.

• The award can not be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipients' name, in terms of Article 18(1) of the Indian Constitution.

Some of the prominent awardees are as follows:

1954: First Awardees

• C. Rajagopalachari= Freedom fighter & last Governor-General of India.
• Dr. C.V Raman= Physicist
• Dr. S.Radhakrishnan= Philosopher as well as first Vice-President & second President of India.
• Jawaharlal Nehru= Freedom fighter, writer & first Prime Minister of India.

1955:

• Bhagwan Das= Freedom fighter, philosopher & educationist.
• M.Visvesvaraya= Civil Engineer, Statesman, Diwan of Mysore.

1957:

• Govind Ballabh Pant= Freedom fighter, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh & Home Minister of India.

1958:

• Dhondo Keshav Karve= Social reformer & educator.

1961:

• Bidhan Chandra Roy= Physician, politician & social worker.
• Purushottam Das Tondon= Titled as "Rajarshi", an independent activist & politician.

1962: 

• Dr. Rajendra Prasad= Jurist, freedom fighter & first President of India.

1966: First Posthumous awardee

• Lal Bahadur Shasti= Freedom fighter & second Prime Minister of India.

1971:

• Indira Gandhi= Third Prime Minister of India.

1980:

• Mother Teresa= Social worker, founder of Missionaries of Charity & a Catholic nun.

1987:

• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan= Known as Frontier Gandhi.

1990:

• B.R. Ambedkar= Crusader against untouchability, Chief Architect of Indian Constitution.
• Nelson Mandela= Gandhi of South Africa.

1997:

• Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam= Scientist & 11th President of India.

1999:

• Prof. Amartya Sen= Economist.

2014:

• Sachin Tendulkar= Cricketer.
• C.N.R Rao= Chemist & Scientist.

2015:

• Madan Mohan Malviya= Scholar & Educational Reformer.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee= Prime Minister of India for three times.

2019:

• Pranab Mukherjee= 13th Prime Minister of India.
• Bhupen Hazarika= Singer, Lyricist, Musician from Assam.
• Nanaji Deshmukh= Social Activist.