India Civilian Awards

“People work for money but go an extra mile for recognition, praise and rewards”.

This quote by Dale Carnegie seems absolutely accurate.

• Civilian awards are bestowed on the top performers for their distinguished work in several fields.
• People from the fields of Education, art, sports, public affairs, trade, and industry, etc. have received the awards since India’s independence.
• Award is given in the form of a, title,certificate, trophy etc. Generally, awards are given by an organization or a government body.
• Highest civilian award in India is Bharat Ratna which is followed by Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri in the last.

There are four types of civilian awards.

1. Bharat Ratna:

• Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award in the country.
• The Prime Minister recommends the nominees of the award to the President of India.
• The number of recipients per year is restricted to three.
• Till date, nearly 45 Bharat Ratna have been conferred.

Bharat Ratna Award Winners (2019):

2. Padma Vibhushan awards:

• It is the highest award conferred to the people after the Bharat Ratna.
• The award seeks to recognize the achievements of people in fields of art, science, public service including the services rendered by the government employees.

Padma Vibhushan Award Winners (2018-2019):

3. Padma Bhushan awards:

• Padma Bhushan is the third highest honour presented by the Government of India.
• The award is conferred for exceptional services in any filed or discipline given to the nation.

Padma Bhushan Award Winners (2018-2019):

4. Padma Shri awards:

• Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award given in India.
• The award is presented in areas of Arts, Education, Sports, Medicine, Public Affairs, Social Service, Industry, Science and Literature.

Padma Bhushan Award Winners (2018-2019):

Interesting Facts:

• Bharat Ratna award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science, and public services, but the government expanded the criteria to include “any field of human Endeavour” in 2011.
• The recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President, with a maximum of three nominees being awarded per year.
• It is the usual practice to invite recommendations every year from all State / UT Governments, Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.
• The Padma Awards Committee is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
• The recommendations made by the Awards Committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President for their approval.
• The total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to foreigners) should not be more than 120.
• The names of the awardees are published in the Gazette of India; the President may cancel and annul the award of the decoration to any person.
• The Awards are announced on 26 th January every year and are presented by the President of India in an awards presentation ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony is generally held in the month of March/April.