The Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards were instituted in which year?
- A.1950
- B.1952
- C.1954
- D.1955
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, 1954. Both honours were instituted on 2 January 1954 by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, and the first Bharat Ratna was conferred in the same year on C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman.
Option A, 1950, is the year the Constitution came into force, and candidates often attach every early institution to that date. Option B, 1952, is the year of the first general election, a landmark of a different kind. Option D, 1955, is a genuine trap rather than a random year: it is when the three Padma classes, first set up under a single name in 1954, were renamed Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Keep the two years apart: instituted in 1954, renamed in 1955.
Read the full article: Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards: Rules and Firsts
Practice Questions
View allWhich civilian award of India ranks immediately below the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Padma Shri
- B.Padma Vibhushan
- C.Padma Bhushan
- D.Ashoka Chakra
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The order of precedence of the civilian honours runs Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, and the Padma Vibhushan is given for exceptional and distinguished service.
Read the full explanation →Who were the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954?
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Rajendra Prasad
- B.C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman
- C.B. R. Ambedkar, C. V. Raman and Zakir Husain
- D.Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari
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All three were honoured in 1954, the first year of the award. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India, Radhakrishnan was a philosopher who later became President, and Raman was the physicist who discovered the effect that carries his name.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first person to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?
- A.Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- B.Lal Bahadur Shastri
- C.B. R. Ambedkar
- D.Subhas Chandra Bose
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Until then the honour had been given only to living persons.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Mother Teresa
- B.Sarojini Naidu
- C.Indira Gandhi
- D.M. S. Subbulakshmi
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She was Prime Minister at the time, and the award followed the events of that year.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first person not of Indian nationality to be awarded the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Nelson Mandela
- B.Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- C.Mother Teresa
- D.Dalai Lama
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Known as the Frontier Gandhi, he led the non-violent Khudai Khidmatgar movement in the North-West Frontier Province and remained a citizen of Pakistan after partition, which makes him the first recipient who was not an Indian national.
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