New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday March conferred Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, 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 at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
The awards to late Narsimha Rao, Singh, Thakur and Swaminathan were received by their kin. P V Prabhakar Rao, son of former prime minister Rao, received the award conferred on his father from the president. Jayant Chaudhary, Singh's grandson and the president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), accepted the honour from Murmu.
Swaminathan's daughter Nitya Rao and Thakur's son Ram Nath Thakur received the award from the president. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony.
The government had announced five Bharat Ratna awards this year, including one to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart and former deputy prime minister L K Advani.
While four Bharat Ratna awards were conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashrapati Bhavan, the Bharat Ratna award to veteran BJP leader LK Advani will be presented to him at his residence.
Ahead of the ceremony to present the Bharat Ratna awards for this year, the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday said that there will be no change of guard of ceremony, a military tradition held every week at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to enable a fresh group of the President’s Bodyguards to take charge.
