In 1954 – India's civilian honors – Bharat Ratna Padma Vibhushan , Padma Bhushan , Padma Shri in order of rank are introduced today.

National Awards And Honour In India

Bharat Ratna:

(The award meaning in english -Jewel of India) is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The 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 December 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. The recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a peepal leaf-shaped medallion. There is no monetary grant associated with the award. Bharat Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence.

The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were: The last Governor-General of the Dominion of India and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu - C. Rajagopalachari, second president and first vice president of India - Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan and Nobel laureate and physicist CV Raman; who was honored in 1954. Since then, the award has been given to 48 people, including 14 posthumous awards. The original laws did not provide for posthumous awards but were amended in January 1955 to allow them. Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri is the first person to be honored posthumously. In 2014, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, then 40, became the youngest recipient; When social reformer Dhondo Keshav Karve was felicitated on his 100th birthday. The first singer to be awarded was MS Subbalakshmi and the first actor to be awarded was MG Ramachandran. Although usually awarded to citizens born in India, the Bharat Ratna has been awarded to one citizen - Mother Teresa and two non-Indians: Abdul Ghaffar Khan (born in British India and later a citizen of Pakistan) and Nelson Mandela, a citizen. South Africa _ On 25 January 2019, the government announced awards to social activist Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumous), singer-music director Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous) and former President of India Pranab Mukherjee.

Padma Vibhushan:

It is India's second highest civilian award. The Padma Vibhushan recipient is presented with a medal and a certificate by the President of India. This honor was introduced on January 2, 1954. In terms of rank, the Padma Vibhushan is after the Bharat Ratna, but before the Padma Bhushan. The honor is conferred in recognition of special and exceptional contribution to the nation in any field including public service.

Padma Bhushan:

It is India's third highest civilian award. The award was instituted by the President of India on 2 January 1954. In the hierarchy of civilian honors in India, the award ranks after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and before the Padma Shri. The award is given in recognition of special contribution to the country without distinction of caste, profession, status or gender. As of 2020, the award has been given to 1,270 people, including 24 posthumous and 97 non-citizen recipients.

Padma Shri:

It is India's fourth highest civilian award. The Government of India awards this honor for special contributions in the fields of arts, education, commerce, literature, science, sports, social service and government. This award is usually given to citizens of India. But many non-Indians have also won the award.

In the hierarchy of Indian honours, the Padma Shri ranks after the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. On one side of the medal, the words "Padma" and "Sri" are engraved above and below the lotus flower. On the other side there are figures of various geometric shapes on varnished bronze. All inscriptions are depicted in white gold color.