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/