Awards — Bharat Ratna, Padma & Nobel

Civilian awards — order of precedence

• Bharat Ratna — highest civilian award (instituted 1954)
• Padma Vibhushan — exceptional and distinguished service
• Padma Bhushan — distinguished service of high order
• Padma Shri — distinguished service

Padma awards are conferred by the President on Republic Day each year.

Gallantry awards (peacetime)

• Ashoka Chakra — highest peacetime gallantry award
• Kirti Chakra
• Shaurya Chakra

Gallantry awards (wartime)

• Param Vir Chakra — highest wartime gallantry award
• Maha Vir Chakra
• Vir Chakra

Nobel Prize categories

Notable Indian Nobel laureates

Major Indian arts & sports awards

• Jnanpith Award — highest literary award (since 1965)
• Sahitya Akademi Award — literature in 24 languages
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award — highest in Indian cinema
• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna — highest sporting honour (renamed 2021)
• Arjuna Award — outstanding sportspersons
• Dronacharya Award — coaches

Quick Revision Facts

• Bharat Ratna was instituted in 1954; the first recipients were C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and C.V. Raman.
• There is no monetary component with the Bharat Ratna; recipients receive a peepal-leaf-shaped medallion.
• Param Vir Chakra is the highest wartime gallantry award (instituted 1950).
• Ashoka Chakra is the highest peacetime gallantry award.
• The Nobel Peace Prize is the only Nobel awarded in Oslo; the rest are awarded in Stockholm.
• Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian and first Asian Nobel laureate (Literature, 1913).
• Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
• Khel Ratna was renamed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Static GK Topics