Former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan, and two-time former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur were honored posthumously with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious awards during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday.
The awards to Rao, Singh, Thakur and Swaminathan were received by their kin. P V Prabhakar Rao, son of former prime minister Rao, received the award conferred on his father from the president. Jayant Chaudhary, Singh's grandson and the president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), accepted the honour from Murmu.
During the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Nitya Rao, daughter of M S Swaminathan, and Ram Nath Thakur, son of Karpoori Thakur, were honored with the Bharat Ratna by President Droupadi Murmu. Notable figures such as Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi graced the event alongside other dignitaries. This year, the government had announced five Bharat Ratna awards, one of which was conferred upon Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart and former deputy prime minister L K Advani.