Context:
Bharat Ratna would be awarded to Karpoori Thakur posthumously
Karpoori Thakur:
- Prominent socialist leader
- Place – Bihar
- Known as – Bihar’s ‘Jan Nayak’
- Career – First non-Congress socialist Chief Minister of Bihar in 1970
- Works –
- Upliftment of backward classes (implementation of Mungeri Lal Commission report)
- Total prohibition of alcohol in Bihar
- Removal of English as a compulsory subject at the matriculation level
Bharat Ratna:
- Highest civilian award in the country
- Introduced in – 1954
- First to receive the title – Dr C V Raman, C Rajagopalachari and Dr S Radhakrishnan
- Entitled to – Initially restricted to accomplishments in literature, science, arts, and public services Expanded the conditions to comprise “any field of human endeavour” in 2011.
- Eligibility – No written provision that Bharat Ratna should be awarded to Indian citizens only.
- Conferred to a naturalised Indian citizen Mother Teresa (1980)
- Conferred to 2 non-Indians Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela (1990)
- Recommendation – Made by the Prime Minister to the President.
- Number of awards – Restricted to a maximum of 3 in a particular year.
- Posthumous award – No provision in original statute, added in 1966
- 1st posthumous recipient – Lal Bahadur Shastri
- Award – A medallion casted in Bronze
- No monetary endowment
- No Bharat Ratna Award has been given in 2020 and 2021.
Source: The Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements in respect of Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards:
1. Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are titles under the Article 18 (1) of the Constitution of India.
2. Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, were suspended only once.
3. The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of five in a particular year.
Which of the above statements are not correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2021 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct. National awards such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri do not amount to titles within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution.
Statement 2 is not correct. The government suspended the practice of granting the Padma awards for two years in 1977. It was again suspended in mid-1992 when 2 PILs were filed in the High Courts of India.
Statement 3 is not correct. A maximum of 3 people can be awarded the Bharat Ratna annually.
