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Padma and Bharat Ratna Notes
A compact, tabular revision of India's civilian honours, the Bharat Ratna and the three Padma awards, their order, fields, key rules and notable recipients, for CAPF static GK
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SubjectStatic GK
RevisionStatic GKAwardsBharat RatnaPadmaPaper 1
One screen per section. Cover the right column and test yourself. The order, the rules and the early recipients of these civilian honours are durable static facts; the latest year's awardees change, so for any recent recipient verify the latest. The military gallantry decorations are on gallantry and civilian awards.
| Award |
Rank |
Instituted |
| Bharat Ratna |
Highest civilian award |
1954 |
| Padma Vibhushan |
Second-highest |
1954 |
| Padma Bhushan |
Third-highest |
1954 |
| Padma Shri |
Fourth-highest |
1954 |
| Rule |
Detail |
| For |
Exceptional service or performance of the highest order in any field |
| Number per year |
Conventionally a maximum of three in a year |
| Form |
A peepal-leaf-shaped medallion; no monetary grant |
| Use as a title |
Recipients may not use it as a prefix or suffix to their name |
| Posthumous awards |
Permitted (allowed since 1955; for example, Lal Bahadur Shastri) |
| Distinction |
Recipient |
| First recipients (1954) |
C Rajagopalachari, Dr S Radhakrishnan, C V Raman |
| First posthumous recipient |
Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966) |
| First woman recipient |
Indira Gandhi (1971) |
| First non-Indian recipient |
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) |
| First sportsperson |
Sachin Tendulkar (2014) |
| First foreign-born (naturalised context) |
Mother Teresa (1980) |
| Aspect |
Detail |
| Announced on |
Republic Day (26 January) each year |
| Conferred by |
The President of India |
| Fields |
Art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service and others |
| Categories |
"Padma Vibhushan" for exceptional and distinguished service; "Padma Bhushan" for distinguished service of a high order; "Padma Shri" for distinguished service |
| Not a title |
Like the Bharat Ratna, cannot be used as a name prefix or suffix |
| Point |
Note |
| Article 18 |
Abolishes titles (except military and academic distinctions) |
| Status of these awards |
Held by the Supreme Court not to be "titles" barred by Article 18, provided they are not used as name prefixes or suffixes (Balaji Raghavan case, 1996) |
| Peg |
Recall |
| Highest civilian award |
Bharat Ratna |
| Year all four were instituted |
1954 |
| First woman Bharat Ratna |
Indira Gandhi (1971) |
| First sportsperson Bharat Ratna |
Sachin Tendulkar (2014) |
| Padma awards announced on |
Republic Day |
| Article on abolition of titles |
Article 18 |