Bharat Ratna For Charan Singh, PV Narasimha Rao and Dr MS Swaminathan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and scientist Dr MS Swaminathan will be awarded the Bharat Ratna. 

About Chaudhary Charan Singh

• Born in 1902 at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, Charan Singh served as the prime minister in 1979. 

Political Journey

• He was Parliamentary Secretary in 1946 
• Minister for Agriculture and Forests (1962-63) 
• Chief Minister of U.P. in February 1970 

Initiatives

• He played a pivotal role in implementing land reforms in Uttar Pradesh. 
• He was instrumental in formulating and finalising the Debt Redemption Bill of 1939, which provided significant relief to rural debtors. 
• He also introduced the Land Holding Act of 1960, aimed at reducing the ceiling on land holdings to make it uniform across the state.

Books 

•  'Abolition of Zamindari', 'Co-operative Farming X-rayed', 'Peasant Proprietorship or Land to the Workers', 'India's Poverty and its Solution', and 'Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum'.

About Narasimha Rao

• Born on June 28, 1921, in Karimnagar, he studied at Osmania University, Hyderabad, Bombay University and Nagpur University. 

Political Journey

• Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996.
• Minister for External Affairs from 1980 to 1984
• Minister of Home Affairs from 1984 to 1984 
• Minister of Defence from 1984 to 1985
• Minister of Human Resource Development in 1985
• He is often credited with bringing economic reforms to India in 1991, which paved the way for the end of the notorious license raj and economic revival.

Books

• He has successfully published 'SahasraPhan', a Hindi translation of the Telugu Novel' Veyi Padagalu' published by Jnanpith; ', "Pan Lakshat Kon ghetto", published by Central Sahitya Academy, Abala Jeevitam', a Telugu translation of Marathi Novel.

Initiative

• He brought his scholarly background and rich political and administrative experience in international diplomacy.

About MS Swaminathan

• Born on August 7, 1925, in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district, he was the father of the Green Revolution.
• He was director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and principal secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Swaminathan also served as the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1988.

Work

• His pioneering work in developing high-yielding varieties of paddy played a significant role in boosting India's agricultural production and improving the livelihoods of low-income farmers.
• Swaminathan began his research career in 1949, studying the genetics of wheat, potato, rice, and jute. 
• During India's food crisis in the 1960s and 70s, he worked with Norman Borlaug to develop high-yield wheat varieties, leading to the "Green Revolution" initiative that revolutionized agricultural productivity.
• He was recognized as the "Father of Economic Ecology" by the United Nations Environment Programme. 
• Swaminathan worked with agriculture ministers C Subramaniam and Jagjivan Ram for the adoption of chemical-biological technology and the exponential rise in the productivity of wheat and rice. 

Awards 

• Swaminathan also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971, the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986, Padma Bhushan (1972), Padma Shri (1967), and Padma Vibhushan (1989). 

About Bharat Ratna

• The Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian honor, which was established in 1954. 
• This award is not limited to any specific caste, occupation, status, or gender and is awarded to individuals who have made exceptional contributions in any field of human endeavor. 
• The Prime Minister recommends the Bharat Ratna recipients to the President, and no formal recommendation is required. 
• The recipient of this award is presented with a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medal. 
• However, no monetary grant is given to the recipient. According to Article 18(1) of the Constitution, the Bharat Ratna cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the name of the recipient.

Few Facts About Bharat Ratna

• It was first conferred in 1954 to three distinguished personalities, namely Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Sir C.V. Raman, and Chakravarti Rajaopalachari. 
• In 2019, the award was presented to three more eminent personalities, namely Nanaji Deshmukh, Pranab Mukherjee, and Bhupen Hazarika. 
• The Prime Minister had also announced earlier that former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur and LK Advani would also be awarded the Bharat Ratna in recognition of their outstanding contributions.