The Bharat Ratna will be conferred on former Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, as well as Green Revolution pioneer M.S. Swaminathan.
- Two awardees already announced earlier this year (2024) are; former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur, and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.
- This year’s tally of five Bharat Ratna awardees, one more than the four announced in 1999, is the highest that has ever been announced in a single year.
- Four of the five awards announced this year are posthumous.
Chaudhary Charan Singh
- He was born on December 23, 1903 in a peasant family in Noorpur village near Hapur, Uttar Pradesh.
- Chaudhary Charan Singh was sworn in as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on April 3, 1967, heading the coalition Samyukt Vidhayak Dal (SVD) government.
- He became Prime Minister of India on July 28, 1979 with the support of Indira Gandhi. But, after just 23 days, Indira withdrew support from his government.
- Charan Singh remained in the post until January 14, 1980, when Indira Gandhi returned as the PM following fresh general elections. He remains one of only two Chief Ministers of UP, alongside V P Singh, who became PM.
Narasimha Rao
- Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister of the country from June 21, 1991 to May 16, 1996.
- He was born on June 28, 1921 in Karimnagar (Telangana). He was the iconic architect of liberalisation and economic reforms.
About M.S. Swaminathan
- Before being conferred the Bharat Ratna, he was awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awards, as well as the H K Firodia Award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, and the Indira Gandhi Prize too.
- He was born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency, on August 7, 1925.
- He played an instrumental role in ushering in the Green Revolution in India.
- Swaminathan was appointed as the director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and a secretary to the Government of India.
- He was made the first Asian director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines in 1982, where he stayed till 1988.
- In 1984, he became the president and vice-president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
- He was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987 and the prize money was used to set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.
- He was the chair of the National Commission on Farmers constituted in 2004.
- He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by former (Late) President APJ Abdul Kalam, where he served from 2007 to 2013.
