How Many Presidents Got Bharat Ratna Award

Introduction

The Bharat Ratna is the Republic of India's highest civilian honour. The award, which was established on January 2, 1954, is given in appreciation of "outstanding service/performance of the highest order," regardless of a recipient's race, profession, position, or sex. The award was initially only given for accomplishments in the humanities, sciences, and public service; but, in December 2011, the government modified the criteria to cover "any sphere of human endeavour." Bharat Ratna awards have been presented to six Indian presidents so far. They are:

• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

• Rajendra Prasad

• Zakir Hussain

• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

• Dr V V Giri

• Pranab Mukherjee

What is Bharat Ratna?

The Bharat Ratna Award was established in 1954 and is India's highest civilian accolade. It is given to those who work especially hard in any field of human endeavour, whether it is literature, science, art, or public service. This coveted honour can only go to three individuals each year. When deciding who should receive the Bharat Ratna Award, there is no prejudice or distinction based on caste, creed, occupation, religion, language, sex, etc.

The Bharat Ratna and other personal civil honours were temporarily suspended from July 1977 to January 1980 due to a change in the national administration. They were also temporarily suspended again from August 1992 to December 1995 due to legal challenges to the awards' constitutionality.

Presidents Who Got Bharat Ratna Award

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, better known as Dr S. Radhakrishnan, was a distinguished statesman and philosopher born on September 5th, 1888. He later served as India's first vice president and second president after independence.

He was a renowned philosopher and expert in comparative religion who received the Bharat Ratna Award in 1954.

He was an intellectual who received several distinctions and awards for his life, from his academic career to his political career in India. He majored in Philosophy and received a Master’s degree in the topic.

Dr Rajendra Prasad

He was born in Bihar's Siwan district on December 3rd, 1884. He enrolled in the prestigious Calcutta Presidency College in 1902, and in 1937, Allahabad University awarded him a doctorate in law.

As the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Rajendra Prasad joined the Interim Government of India in 1946. Dr Prasad retired in 1962 after serving as president for 12 years. He was given the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour.

Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain was a well-known political figure who advocated for education. He was born on February 8th, 1897, in Hyderabad, India. From 1967 to 1969, he served as the third president of independent India.

He began his career as the governor of the state of Bihar for six years, from 1957 to 1962, and after that served as Dr S. Radhakrishnan's vice president of India from 1962 to 1967.

He received the Bharat Ratna Award from the Indian government in 1963 for his notable contributions to politics and education.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, better known by his full name Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, was an Indian scientist and politician who was instrumental in developing India's missile and nuclear weapons programmes. He was born on October 15, 1931, in Rameswaram, India, and passed away on July 27, 2015, in Shillong. He presided over India as president from 2002 until 2007.

APJ Abdul Kalam, a former president of India, received the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, in 1997, just about five years before he was elected president on July 25, 2002. The award was granted to Kalam, known as the "Missile Man of India," for his commitment to scientific research and the modernization of the Indian defence programme.

V V Giri

Varahagiri Venkata Giri, a statesman and former Indian president from 1969 to 1974, was born on August 10, 1894, in Berhampore (now Brahmapur), India, and passed away on June 24, 1980, in Madras (now Chennai). He served as India's third vice president from May 13, 1967, until May 3, 1969. He became the first president to win an election as an independent. In 1974, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed took over as president in his place.

The Indian government awarded Giri the Bharat Ratna in 1975 after serving his entire tenure.

Pranab Mukherjee

The full name of Pranab Mukherjee is Shri Pranab Kumar Mukherjee. He was born on December 11, 1935, in Mirati, Bengal (now West Bengal), India, and passed away in Delhi on August 31, 2020.

Indian politician and statesman Pranab Mukherjee presided over India as its thirteenth president from 2012 to 2017. Mukherjee served as the Union's finance minister from 2009 to 2012 before being elected president.

He received the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2019 from Ram Nath Kovind, his successor as president.

History of Bharat Ratna

• On January 2, 1954, Rajendra Prasad, the official President of India, founded the prize.

• The concept of awarding this honour to a deceased winner was not included in the original statute, which was introduced in January 1954.

• In January 1966, a posthumous awarding provision was included in the law governing the prestigious prize.

• Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Sir C.V. Raman, and Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan received the inaugural Bharat Ratna in 1954.

• Sachin Tendulkar was the first athlete and the youngest recipient of the Bharat Ratna Award.

Regulations of Bharat Ratna

Without regard to race, profession, or status the Bharat Ratna is awarded "in honour of exemplary service/performance of the highest order." The 1954 regulations stated that the award could only be given in the arts, literature, science, and public service fields. The guidelines were modified in December 2011 to apply to "any sector of human endeavour."

Although there isn't a formal nomination process, the President can only accept proposals for the award from the Prime Minister, and there can only be a maximum of three nominees honoured annually. Four people, however, received the honour in 1999. Without any financial assistance, the recipient is given a medallion and a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President.

According to the ruling of the Supreme Court in Balaji Raghavan/S.P. Anand v. Union of India in 1995, the awardee is immune from Article 18 (1) of the Constitution when using the term "Bharat Ratna" as a prefix. Additionally, recipients may announce that they have received the award by using either the phrase "Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President" or "Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award."

How many Bharat Ratna Awards can be given in a year?

The Bharat Ratna can only be given to a total of three individuals. Three distinguished individuals, Nanaji Deshmukh, Pranab Mukherjee, and Bhupen Hazarika, received this honour in 2019.

It is significant to note that there is no formal nominating process for the Bharat Ratna. The President of India receives recommendations from the Prime Minister of India for Bharat Ratna nominees. No Bharat Ratna Award was given in 2020 or 2021.

Benefits of Bharat Ratna

• The Indian government has deemed a few awards exempt from taxes, and those awarded the Bharat Ratna also enjoy similar benefits.

• Sachin Tendulkar's prize, for instance, is entirely tax-free.

• The Bharat Ratna honorees should be treated as state guests while travelling throughout India's states, according to the advice given to the state governments.

• When requested by the awardees, Indian missions abroad would give the necessary assistance during their visits.

• They are entitled to free executive class travel on Air India and diplomatic passports.

• They are included in Table of Precedence column 7A.

Facts on Bharat Ratna

• The Alipore Mint in Kolkata is where the medals are made.

• Because of the lingering dispute surrounding Subhas Chandra Bose's passing, the award was revoked in 1997. The Bharat Ratna was only ever retracted once after being announced.

• In 1999, there were four recipients of the honour rather than three.

• Nelson Mandela and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan are the only non-Indians to have received the Bharat Ratna.

• In 2014, Sachin Tendulkar became the Bharat Ratna's youngest recipient. He is also the first athlete to receive the honour.

Conclusion

One of India's most valuable and distinguished honours is the Bharat Ratna award. It is the highest civilian honour given to anyone in India, regardless of caste, religion, sex, or gender. Each year, only three people are awarded the Bharat Ratna. The recipients can come from any industry that carries out work for the benefit of humanity. The award confers several advantages to the recipient, but not the right to add the award's name as a prefix or suffix to their name.