President presents Bharat Ratna to four posthumously
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday conferred the Bharat Ratna on former Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh; former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur; and agronomist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. All four awards were presented posthumously at a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The late Rao’s award was received by his son, P.V. Prabhakar Rao, while Singh’s award was received by his grandson, Jayant Chaudhary. Dr. Swaminathan’s daughter, Nitya Rao, received the award for her father, and Thakur’s was received by his son, Ram Nath Thakur.
Ms. Murmu is likely to visit Mr. Advani, the other awardee this year, at his residence to honour him as his mobility is restricted because of frail health.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were among those who were present at the ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
‘Exemplary actions’
“As the ninth Prime Minister of India, Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao led farreaching economic reforms. Earlier, in his youth, he had taken an active part in the freedom struggle, especially against the misrule and oppression in the Nizamruled Hyderabad,” the official handle of the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on ◣.
Recalling the late Charan Singh’s role during the freedom struggle in another post on ◣, President Murmu said, “His contribution to zamindari abolition and land reforms, and his deep understanding of the economy, are respectfully remembered.” President Murmu said Dr. Swaminathan played a major role in making India selfsufficient in food production.
Recalling the selfless actions of Karpoori Thakur, the official handle of Rashtrapati Bhavan said: “Working tirelessly to improve the lives of the disadvantaged people, he commanded high regard and had earned the honorific, ‘Jan-Nayak’.”