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Former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, helmsman of the Rath Yatra that catapulted the movement for the Ayodhya Ram Temple to national prominence, will be given the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday.
In 2015, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour.
Bharat Ratna – Basic Details
Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
Year of institution: 1954
Conferred by: The President of India
Eligibility: Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for these awards.
Award criteria: Exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour
Number of awards: Restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year
Award presentation: The recipient receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. The Award does not carry any monetary grant.
Some of the notable recipients of Bharat Ratna:
C.V. Raman: Physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the Raman effect
SarvepaliRadhakrishnan: Philosopher, statesman, and the second President of India
Jawaharlal Nehru: First Prime Minister of India
Mother Teresa: Humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Nelson Mandela: Anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Scientist and the 11th President of India
Sachin Tendulkar: Cricketer and one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
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