New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, on former Prime Ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan, and two-time former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, posthumously. The ceremony took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
The investiture ceremony saw relatives of the awardees receiving the honors. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and other dignitaries were present at the event.
The President will also present the Bharat Ratna to former Deputy Prime Minister and veteran BJP leader L K Advani tomorrow in New Delhi.
The Bharat Ratna is awarded for exceptional service and performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavor.