Maarg Manthan · Topic 22.1

Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards (Recent Recipients)

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Awards, Honours and International Recognitions · Topic 22.1

The Bharat Ratna and the Padma Awards are India's civilian honours, both instituted in 1954 and administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award, given for exceptional service in any field, and it is conferred by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Padma Awards, in order Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, are announced each year on the eve of Republic Day, and 131 awards were announced on 25 January 2026, including five Padma Vibhushan. The last Bharat Ratna announcements were in 2024, for five persons, and none had been announced for 2025 or 2026 in the sources checked.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Awards, Honours and International Recognitions

At a Glance

Instituted 1954, both Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards
Administered by Ministry of Home Affairs
Padma order Vibhushan, Bhushan, Shri
Padma 2026 131 awards announced on 25 January 2026
Last Bharat Ratna Five announced in 2024
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Awards, Honours and International Recognitions

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the macro on awards and honours. It covers India’s own civilian honours, which are the most common source of Prelims questions on awards and personalities. Previous topic: Defence Corridors (Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridors). Next topic: Nobel Prize Winners of the Year (Peace, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature).

What Are the Rules for the Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards?

Feature	Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards
Constitutional link	Article 18(1) bars the State from conferring titles, but civilian awards are not titles. The Supreme Court upheld them in the Balaji Raghavan case of 1995. They cannot be used as prefix or suffix to a name
Bharat Ratna	Conferred by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The rule limits it to three a year, though more were announced in some years, including 2024. It carries a medal and a certificate but no cash prize
First recipients	C Rajagopalachari, C V Raman and S Radhakrishnan in 1954
Padma Awards	Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service
Selection	The Padma Awards Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, sends recommendations to the Prime Minister and the President. Nominations are open to the public through an online portal
Limits	The Padma list is generally limited to 120 a year, not counting posthumous awards and awards to foreigners, non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin
Announcement	On the eve of Republic Day, with investiture ceremonies at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Who Are the Latest Recipients?

Bharat Ratna 2024: Karpoori Thakur (posthumous), L K Advani, P V Narasimha Rao (posthumous), Chaudhary Charan Singh (posthumous) and M S Swaminathan (posthumous) were announced in 2024. As reported, this took the total to 53
Earlier batch: Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh and Bhupen Hazarika in 2019, and Sachin Tendulkar and C N R Rao in 2014
Padma 2025: 139 awards were announced on 25 January 2025. Padma Vibhushan went to Duvvur Nageswar Reddy, J S Khehar, Kumudini Lakhia, Laxminarayana Subramaniam, M T Vasudevan Nair, Osamu Suzuki and Sharda Sinha, as reported
Padma 2026: 131 awards, with five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri, were announced on 25 January 2026. Padma Vibhushan went to Dharmendra (posthumous), K T Thomas, N Rajam, P Narayanan and V S Achuthanandan (posthumous), as reported
Padma Bhushan 2026: reported names include Alka Yagnik and Piyush Pandey (posthumous). The full list of 13 is on the official portal

What Else Should You Remember?

Controversy: the Janata Government stopped the awards in 1977 and they were revived in 1980, and the cap and criteria have drawn debate
Posthumous awards: posthumous Bharat Ratna awards include Lal Bahadur Shastri, the first to be given after death, in 1966
Non-citizens: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela received the Bharat Ratna though not Indian citizens
Investiture: the 2026 awards were presented in more than one ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with a first ceremony reported on 26 May 2026 and another in June 2026
Padma criteria: awards are given for work in art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service
Link to other awards: for gallantry honours see Param Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra and Other Gallantry Awards in the News
Link to sport: sports honours are covered in Dronacharya and Arjuna Awards in Sports
Link to literature: literary honours are covered in Jnanpith Award and Sahitya Akademi Award Winners
Criticism: the lack of a transparent shortlist, political choices and omissions of grassroots workers are common criticisms, though recent years have seen more community-level awardees

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Constitutional link: Article 18 and the Balaji Raghavan case
Numbers: 3 Bharat Ratna a year as a rule and 120 Padma awards as a limit
Ministry: Home Affairs
Order: Vibhushan above Bhushan above Shri
Common errors: calling them titles, saying Bharat Ratna carries a cash prize, or placing the awards under the Ministry of Culture

As an analytical point, civilian honours gain value when selection is transparent and merit-based. Open nominations and the recognition of community workers improve public trust in the awards.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Rules Article 18 and limits
Recipients Latest names
Process Committee and ministry

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the Nobel Prizes, with the latest laureates. Next topic: Nobel Prize Winners of the Year (Peace, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature).

Key People and Terms

Bharat Ratna Highest civilian honour
Padma Vibhushan Second highest civilian honour
Padma Bhushan Third highest civilian honour
Padma Shri Fourth highest civilian honour
Posthumous Given after death
Article 18 Abolition of titles

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Both instituted: 1954; Ministry of Home Affairs.
Bharat Ratna: no cash; rule of three a year.
Padma 2026: 131 awards on 25 January 2026.
Bharat Ratna 2024: five persons including Karpoori Thakur.
Padma Awards Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Do Not Confuse With

Honours and titles Civilian awards are not titles under Article 18
Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan Higher versus lower grade
Bharat Ratna and Param Vir Chakra Civilian versus military gallantry award

Memory Hook

Bharat Ratna at the top, then Vibhushan, Bhushan, Shri.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the constitutional position and the selection process. These points help.

Purpose Recognise service
Concerns Transparency and politics
Reform Open shortlist and clear criteria

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Examine the constitutional position and selection process of civilian honours in India and suggest reforms.”

How to Answer

Position Article 18 and the 1995 judgment.
Process Committee and ministry.
Concerns Transparency.
Reform Published criteria.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Bharat Ratna and Padma facts, constitutional position, recent recipients. GS Paper 2: Constitution (Article 18), honours and titles. GS Paper 1: personalities in the news.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Bharat Ratna?

The Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award, instituted in 1954, for exceptional service in any field. The President confers it on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. It carries a medal and certificate but no cash prize, and the rule limits it to three a year, though five were announced in 2024.

Who received the Bharat Ratna in 2024?

In 2024 the Bharat Ratna was announced for Karpoori Thakur, L K Advani, P V Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and M S Swaminathan. All except Advani were honoured posthumously. As reported, no Bharat Ratna had been announced for 2025 or 2026 in the sources checked, so the 2024 batch is the latest.

How many Padma Awards were announced in 2026?

The government announced 131 Padma Awards on 25 January 2026, made up of five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. Padma Vibhushan went to Dharmendra, K T Thomas, N Rajam, P Narayanan and V S Achuthanandan, with Dharmendra and Achuthanandan honoured posthumously, as reported.

Which ministry runs the Padma Awards?

The Ministry of Home Affairs administers the Padma Awards. The Padma Awards Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, examines nominations and sends recommendations to the Prime Minister and the President. Nominations are open to the public through an online portal, and the awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day.

Are the Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards titles?

No. Article 18(1) of the Constitution bars the State from giving titles, but the Supreme Court held in the Balaji Raghavan case of 1995 that Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are not titles. Recipients cannot use them as a prefix or suffix to their names, or they may lose the award.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Bharat Ratna carries a cash prize.

False

It carries a medal and a certificate only.

2 Civilian awards were held not to be titles under Article 18.

True

In the Balaji Raghavan case.

3 The Padma Awards are administered by the Ministry of Culture.