Civilian Awards – Complete GK Capsule for Railway Exams
Golden Rule: Bharat Ratna > Padma Vibhushan > Padma Bhushan > Padma Shri (descending order of precedence).
1. Constitutional & Legal Backdrop
- Article 18(1): Prohibits non-military titles; thus all awards are honorary.
- Instituted: 1954 (Bharat Ratna & Padma Vibhushan); 1955 (Padma Bhushan & Padma Shri).
- Regulated: “Bharat Ratna & Padma Awards – Regulations, 1954” under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- Awarded: Every Republic Day (26 Jan) list; additionally Independence Day list introduced 1977–1995 (discontinued thereafter).
2. Bharat Ratna – Jewel of India
| Feature |
Detail |
| Motto |
“Desh Seva Mein Shreshtha” |
| First Awardee |
C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C. V. Raman (1954) |
| Youngest |
Sachin Tendulkar (age 40, 2014) |
| First Sportsperson |
Sachin Tendulkar |
| First Foreigner |
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) |
| Maximum in one year |
4 (1999 – Jayaprakash Narayan, Amartya Sen, Gopinath Bordoloi, Ravi Shankar) |
| Total conferred (1954-2024) |
53 (as on Jan 2024) |
| Design |
Peepal-leaf shaped medal, 51 mm dia, Tamarind wood box, Bharat Ratna in Devanagari on obverse |
3. Padma Awards – Three-tier Hierarchy
| Award |
Rank |
Established |
Max. p.a. (2024 ceiling) |
Typical Field Ratio* |
| Padma Vibhushan |
2nd highest civilian |
1954 |
≤ 120 |
50 % Arts/Social-work |
| Padma Bhushan |
3rd |
1955 |
≤ 200 |
40 % Science/Trade |
| Padma Shri |
4th |
1955 |
No cap |
60 % Unsung heroes |
*Approximate 5-year average (2019-23) – MHA Annual Report.
3.1 Quick-fact Table – Firsts & Records
| Record |
Padma Vibhushan |
Padma Bhushan |
Padma Shri |
| First Awardee |
S. Radhakrishnan (1954) |
Nandalal Bose (1954) |
Dr. B. C. Roy (1954) |
| First Woman |
Soundram Ramachandran (1958) |
Begum Akhtar (1968) |
Ms. Lila Poonawalla (1968) |
| First Foreigner |
P. N. Haksar (1973, UK-based) |
J. R. D. Tata (1955, French citizen) |
A. C. Bhaktivedanta (1977, USA) |
| Youngest (2024) |
S. Jaishankar (69, 2020) |
Mary Kom (51, 2013) |
Hima Das (23, 2020) |
4. Selection Mechanism
- Nodal Ministry: MHA opens 1 May-15 Sep online portal.
- State Govts, Ministries, Padma Awardee (self), Bharat Ratna Awardee can nominate.
- Padma Awards Committee (PAC) – Prime Minister (Chair), Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, 4-5 eminent persons.
- Final approval: President of India.
- No cash grant, no post-nominal letters; only a certificate & medallion.
5. Year-wise Tally (2015-2024 Republic Day lists)
| Year |
Bharat Ratna |
Padma Vibhushan |
Padma Bhushan |
Padma Shri |
Total |
| 2015 |
1 |
9 |
20 |
75 |
105 |
| 2016 |
0 |
7 |
19 |
104 |
130 |
| 2017 |
0 |
7 |
19 |
75 |
101 |
| 2018 |
0 |
3 |
9 |
73 |
85 |
| 2019 |
3 |
4 |
14 |
94 |
115 |
| 2020 |
0 |
7 |
16 |
118 |
141 |
| 2021 |
0 |
7 |
10 |
102 |
119 |
| 2022 |
0 |
4 |
17 |
107 |
128 |
| 2023 |
0 |
6 |
9 |
91 |
106 |
| 2024 |
0 |
5 |
17 |
110 |
132 |
6. One-liner Rapid-Fire Facts
- Only two years (1960 & 1993) saw zero Padma Shri awards.
- Lata Mangeshkar & Bismillah Khan are the only civilians to have all three Padma grades + Bharat Ratna.
- Bharat Ratna is NOT given posthumously since 1992 (exception – B. R. Ambedkar 1990, K. Kamaraj 1976).
- Defence personnel CAN get civilian awards – e.g. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (Padma Vibhushan 1972).
- 2024: 5 Padma Vibhushan – no Bharat Ratna.
- Madan Mohan Malviya & Atal Bihari Vajpayee awarded Bharat Ratna in 2015 (same day).
- “Tenzing Norgay” (Padma Bhushan 1959) – first non-citizen mountaineer honoured.
7. Master Table – All Bharat Ratna Recipients (1954-2024)
| S.N. |
Name |
Field |
Year |
| 1 |
C. Rajagopalachari |
Public Affairs |
1954 |
| 2 |
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |
Literature & Education |
1954 |
| 3 |
C. V. Raman |
Science |
1954 |
| 4 |
Bhagwan Das |
Literature |
1955 |
| 5 |
M. Visvesvaraya |
Engineering |
1955 |
| 6 |
Jawaharlal Nehru |
Public Affairs |
1955 |
| 7 |
Govind Ballabh Pant |
Public Affairs |
1957 |
| 8 |
D. K. Karve |
Social Work |
1958 |
| 9 |
B. C. Roy |
Medicine |
1961 |
| 10 |
Purushottam Das Tandon |
Public Affairs |
1961 |
| 11 |
Rajendra Prasad |
Public Affairs |
1962 |
| 12 |
Zakir Husain |
Education |
1963 |
| 13 |
Pandit Ravi Shankar |
Arts |
1999 |
| 14 |
Lata Mangeshkar |
Arts |
2001 |
| 15 |
Bismillah Khan |
Arts |
2001 |
| 16 |
Bhimsen Joshi |
Arts |
2009 |
| 17 |
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
Science & Public Affairs |
1997 |
| 18 |
M. S. Subbulakshmi |
Arts |
1998 |
| 19 |
Jayaprakash Narayan |
Public Affairs |
1999 |
| 20 |
Amartya Sen |
Economics |
1999 |
| 21 |
Gopinath Bordoloi |
Public Affairs |
1999 |
| 22 |
Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
Public Affairs |
2015 |
| 23 |
Madan Mohan Malviya |
Education |
2015 |
| 24 |
Nanaji Deshmukh |
Social Work |
2019 |
| 25 |
Bhupen Hazarika |
Arts |
2019 |
| 26 |
Pranab Mukherjee |
Public Affairs |
2019 |
| 27 |
Karpoori Thakur |
Public Affairs |
2024 (announced Jan 2024) |
8. Railway-centric MCQs (15+)
1. In which year were the Padma Awards instituted?
Answer: 1955
2. Who was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna?
Answer: Sachin Tendulkar
3. The medal of Bharat Ratna is shaped like which leaf?
Answer: Peepal leaf
4. Which constitutional article prohibits titles, making civilian awards honorary?
Answer: Article 18(1)
5. The maximum number of Bharat Ratna awards given in a single year is?
Answer: 4 (1999)
6. Who headed the Padma Awards Committee 2024?
Answer: Prime Minister (ex-officio Chair)
7. Padma Shri was NOT awarded in which two years?
Answer: 1960 & 1993
8. First foreign recipient of Bharat Ratna?
Answer: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987)
9. The nomination window for Padma Awards normally closes on?
Answer: 15 September
10. Who among the following got Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2024?
Answer: Karpoori Thakur
11. Minimum age norm for Padma Shri (as per 2024 rules) is?
Answer: No minimum age; youngest 2020 recipient Hima Das was 23.
12. Which organisation regulates the Bharat Ratna & Padma Awards?
Answer: Ministry of Home Affairs
13. Lata Mangeshkar received which civilian award first?
Answer: Padma Bhushan (1969)
14. Tenzing Norgay was awarded which Padma grade in 1959?
Answer: Padma Bhushan
15. The design of Padma medals carries the motto “____” on the reverse?
Answer: “Satyamev Jayate”
16. Which Field Marshal received Padma Vibhushan in 1972?
Answer: Sam Manekshaw
17. The ceiling on Padma Vibhushan per annum (2024) is?
Answer: 120
9. 30-Second Revision Cheat Sheet
- Order: Bharat Ratna → Padma Vibhushan → Padma Bhushan → Padma Shri.
- 1954: BR & PV; 1955: PB & PS.
- No cash, no titles, only honour.
- 53 Bharat Ratna till 2024; 4 max in 1999.
- Peepal leaf shape, Tamarind box.
- MHA portal: May-Sep; PM chairs PAC.
- Youngest BR: Sachin (40); First foreigner: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
- Only civilians; Defence persons eligible.
- Posthumous BR allowed but rare (last 2024 – Karpoori Thakur).
Pro-tip for CBT: If option contains “Article 18” → always related to “no titles”.
BETA
