🌟 Bharat Ratna Award Winners List (1954–2024) – Complete Updated List 

Category: Awards & Honours | General Knowledge

The Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award, given for exceptional service towards the advancement of art, literature, science, and public service. Instituted in 1954, this award holds immense prestige and recognizes those who have made a lasting impact on the nation and the world.

In this article, you’ll find the complete and updated list of Bharat Ratna Award Winners from 1954 to 2024, along with their field of contribution and notable achievements.

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🏅 What is the Bharat Ratna Award?

• Instituted in: 1954

• Type: Highest Civilian Award of India

• Presented by: President of India

• Motto: Exceptional service in any field of human endeavor

• Award Components: A certificate signed by the President and a Peepal leaf-shaped medallion

The award does not carry any monetary benefits, but it is a symbol of the nation’s deepest respect and recognition.

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📜 Bharat Ratna Award Winners List (1954–2024)

Year	Name	Field / Category	Notable Contribution
1954	C. Rajagopalachari	Public Affairs	Last Governor-General of India; freedom fighter and statesman
1954	Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	Education	1st Vice-President & 2nd President of India
1954	C. V. Raman	Science	Nobel Laureate in Physics; discovered the Raman Effect
1955	Bhagwan Das	Literature & Education	Philosopher; co-founder of Kashi Vidyapith
1955	M. Visvesvaraya	Engineering	Eminent engineer; Diwan of Mysore
1955	Jawaharlal Nehru	Public Affairs	1st Prime Minister of India
1957	Govind Ballabh Pant	Public Affairs	1st Chief Minister of UP; Home Minister of India
1958	Dhondo Keshav Karve	Social Work	Advocate of women’s education and widow remarriage
1961	Bidhan Chandra Roy	Medicine & Public Affairs	2nd CM of West Bengal; renowned physician
1961	Purushottam Das Tandon	Public Affairs	Promoted Hindi as national language
1962	Rajendra Prasad	Public Affairs	1st President of India
1963	Zakir Husain	Education	3rd President of India; educationist
1963	Pandurang Vaman Kane	Literature	Authored History of Dharmashastra
1966	Lal Bahadur Shastri	Public Affairs	2nd PM of India; promoted White Revolution
1971	Indira Gandhi	Public Affairs	India’s 1st and only female PM
1975	V. V. Giri	Public Affairs	4th President; trade union leader
1976	K. Kamaraj	Public Affairs	Educational reformer; CM of Tamil Nadu
1980	Mother Teresa	Social Work	Founded Missionaries of Charity
1983	Vinoba Bhave	Social Work	Led Bhoodan Movement
1987	Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan	Social Work	Known as Frontier Gandhi
1988	M. G. Ramachandran	Public Affairs	Actor & CM of Tamil Nadu
1990	B. R. Ambedkar	Public Affairs	Architect of the Indian Constitution
1990	Nelson Mandela	Public Affairs	Anti-apartheid revolutionary; SA President
1991	Rajiv Gandhi	Public Affairs	6th Prime Minister of India
1991	Vallabhbhai Patel	Public Affairs	Iron Man of India
1991	Morarji Desai	Public Affairs	4th PM of India
1992	Abul Kalam Azad	Education	1st Education Minister; freedom fighter
1992	J. R. D. Tata	Industry	Pioneer of Indian aviation
1992	Satyajit Ray	Arts	Renowned filmmaker
1997	Gulzarilal Nanda	Public Affairs	Interim PM; labor leader
1997	Aruna Asaf Ali	Social Work	Quit India Movement leader
1997	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam	Science & Engineering	Missile Man of India; later President
1998	M. S. Subbulakshmi	Arts	Renowned Carnatic singer
1998	Chidambaram Subramaniam	Public Affairs	Architect of Green Revolution
1999	Jayaprakash Narayan	Public Affairs	Leader of Total Revolution
1999	Amartya Sen	Economics	Nobel laureate economist
1999	Gopinath Bordoloi	Public Affairs	1st CM of Assam
1999	Ravi Shankar	Arts	Sitar maestro
2001	Lata Mangeshkar	Arts	Legendary playback singer
2001	Bismillah Khan	Arts	Shehnai maestro
2009	Bhimsen Joshi	Arts	Classical vocalist
2014	C. N. R. Rao	Science	Chemist; solid-state research
2014	Sachin Tendulkar	Sports	First sportsperson to receive Bharat Ratna
2015	Madan Mohan Malaviya	Education	Founder of BHU
2015	Atal Bihari Vajpayee	Public Affairs	Former PM; poet & statesman
2019	Pranab Mukherjee	Public Affairs	Former President of India
2019	Nanaji Deshmukh	Social Work	Rural development leader
2019	Bhupen Hazarika	Arts	Assamese singer & filmmaker
2024	Karpoori Thakur	Public Affairs	Former CM of Bihar; social justice icon
2024	Lal Krishna Advani	Public Affairs	Senior BJP leader; former Deputy PM
2024	P. V. Narasimha Rao	Public Affairs	Former PM; economic reforms architect
2024	Chaudhary Charan Singh	Public Affairs	Former PM; champion of farmers
2024	M. S. Swaminathan	Science & Agriculture	Father of India’s Green Revolution

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📘 Bharat Ratna Award 2024 Highlights

In 2024, the Bharat Ratna was conferred upon five eminent personalities for their contributions in public service and agriculture:

1. Karpoori Thakur – Champion of backward classes and former CM of Bihar

2. L. K. Advani – Senior statesman and BJP leader

3. P. V. Narasimha Rao – Architect of India’s economic liberalization

4. Chaudhary Charan Singh – Former PM, advocate of farmers’ welfare

5. M. S. Swaminathan – Father of India’s Green Revolution

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🧠 Key Facts for Exams

• The first recipients (1954): C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Radhakrishnan, and C.V. Raman

• Youngest recipient: Sachin Tendulkar (2014)

• First foreign recipient: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987)

• First woman recipient: Indira Gandhi (1971)

• Posthumous awards: Allowed since 1955

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📥 Download Bharat Ratna Award Winners List PDF (1954–2024)

Get the complete and latest Bharat Ratna Award Winners List (1954–2024) in PDF format for quick revision and offline reading.
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🏁 Conclusion

The Bharat Ratna is more than an award — it’s a symbol of India’s gratitude toward individuals who have devoted their lives to the nation’s progress. Whether in science, sports, politics, or art, each recipient has contributed uniquely to shaping India’s identity.

For competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, Banking, and State PCS, this topic is highly important for static GK and current affairs preparation.

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