Railway
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was conferred the Bharat Ratna in:
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Answer: Option A — 1962
Detailed Solution
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1962, the year in which he completed his second term as President.
About the Bharat Ratna:
- It was instituted on 2 January 1954.
- It is awarded for exceptional service or performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour.
- At first, it was limited to achievements in art, literature, science and public service; in 2011 the criteria were widened to cover any field.
- The award consists of a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a peepal-leaf-shaped medallion; there is no monetary grant.
- A maximum of three awards can be given in a year, although five were given in 2024.
- It is not a title, so it cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient's name.
First recipients (1954):
- Rajagopalachari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Dr. C.V. Raman.
Presidents who received the Bharat Ratna:
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1954).
Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1962).
Dr. Zakir Husain (1963).
V.V. Giri (1975).
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (1997).
Pranab Mukherjee (2019).
Posthumous awards:
The first posthumous Bharat Ratna was given to Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966.
Other notable recipients:
Jawaharlal Nehru (1955), Indira Gandhi (1971), Mother Teresa (1980), Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987, the first non-Indian), Nelson Mandela (1990), Sachin Tendulkar (2014, the youngest and the first sportsperson).
Suspension of the awards:
- The Bharat Ratna and Padma awards were suspended from 1977 to 1980 and briefly in 1992 to 1995.
- In the Balaji Raghavan case (1995), the Supreme Court upheld the awards but said they should not be used as titles.
About Dr. Rajendra Prasad:
He was the first President of India and the President of the Constituent Assembly.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1954 is when the award was instituted.
- ✗1957 and 1963 do not match; 1963 is when Zakir Husain received it.
Quick tip
Remember: Bharat Ratna: Rajendra Prasad (1962); first awards in 1954 (Rajaji, Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman).
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Awards & Honours — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Awards & Honours, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers national and international awards: Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards, gallantry awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi awards, sports awards, Nobel Prizes, the Ramon Magsaysay Award and other global honours, along with the fields they recognise and notable winners. Static questions ask about the field each award is given for, the year it started, and the first winners. For example, the Jnanpith Award is for literature and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is for cinema. Questions on recent winners change every year, so revise those from the latest announcements and treat older winner lists as background only. Practise the awards and honours questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.