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Recently, the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, was conferred on former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh as well as agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan.

Bharat Ratna Awardees 2024 List

• This year’s tally of five awardees (including socialist leader Karpoori Thakur and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani), one more than the four announced in 1999, is the highest that has ever been announced in a single year. 
• Four of the five awards announced are posthumous. Mr. Advani is the only one who has been awarded in his lifetime.

Bharat Ratna 2024 To PV Narasimha Rao

• A Renowned Figure: PV Narasimha Rao was a freedom fighter, academician and literary figure. He held various important portfolios.
  • He was also the 9th Prime Minister of India (1991 to 1996).
  • He was also the first Prime Minister from southern India.
  • He was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1971-73.
• Literary Work: He published ‘SahasraPhan’; ‘Abala Jeevitam’, “Pan Lakshat Kon gheto”.
• Architect of India’s Economic Liberalisation: He sought to dismantle the restrictions imposed under the licence raj, reduce red tape and make Indian industries more competitive. 
  • Liberalisation & Re-integration: He had laid the foundation for trade liberalisation and the re-integration of the Indian economy with the global economy, especially East Asian economies.
    • This was a major shift from the inward orientation of the previous regimes to a new trajectory of globally integrated development.
    • It began in 1991 with an aim of making the economy more market and service oriented, and expanding the role of private and foreign investment.
• Foreign Policy: Among his bold moves in foreign policy were establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and reversing decades of frosty relations between India and the United States by bringing them together.
  • The Look East Policy of India was initiated during his tenure. 
  • He stabilized relations with China and Pakistan. 
  • He was also the Leader of the Special Non-aligned Mission that visited countries in West Asia in 1983, in an effort to resolve the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
  • His role at the Conference of Foreign Ministers of Non-aligned Countries in February 1981 earned him wide appreciation. 
  • He has shown keen personal interest in international economic issues and personally led the Indian delegation to the Conference of the Group of 77 on ECDC at Caracas, in May 1981.
• Constitutional Reforms: The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments Act empowering local bodies were enacted during his tenure.
• Security Achiever: He was fairly successful in controlling the separatist movements in Punjab and Kashmir.
  • His term also saw the destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, one of the worst Hindu-Muslim riots in the country since its independence.
• Chanakya of Indian Politics: For his ability to steer economic and political legislation through the parliament at a time when he headed a minority government.
• Nuclear Achievement: Atal Bihari Vajpayee called PV Narasimha Rao the ‘true father’ of India’s nuclear programme. 
  • According to Sitapati’s book, Rao was actively involved in the nuclear programme. 
• Legacy: He fostered a new era of economic development that laid a solid foundation for India’s future economic growth and prosperity.

Bharat Ratna 2024 Chaudhary Charan Singh

• A Renowned Figure: Chaudhary Charan Singh was an Indian politician and a freedom fighter. He served as the 5th Prime Minister of India and 5th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
  • He served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh twice.
  • He followed Mahatma Gandhi in the non-violent struggle for independence. In 1930, he was sent to jail for 12 years by the British for contravention of the salt laws. 
  • He was jailed in November 1940 for the Individual Satyagraha Movement.
• A Staunch Advocate for Farmers’ Rights: He is best remembered as a champion of farmers’ rights, welfare and interests. 
  • He was instrumental in implementing several pioneering initiatives for agriculture reforms and farmer prosperity such as:
    • Formulation and finalization of the Debt Redemption Bill 1939, which brought great relief to rural debtors.
    • Bringing about the Land Holding Act, 1960 that aimed at lowering the ceiling on land holdings to make it uniform throughout the State, etc.
• Literary Works: He was the author of several books and pamphlets, including Abolition of Zamindari, Co-operative Farming X-rayed, India’s Poverty and its Solution, Peasant Proprietorship or Land to the Workers and Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum.
• Achievements: His dedicated efforts for ensuring fair prices, timely loan waivers, and income security for farmers earned him widespread popularity.
  • Kisan Diwas: It is observed across the country to celebrate his birth anniversary.
  • The Amausi Airport in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh was renamed Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport after him, and the university of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, India, was also named Chaudhary Charan Singh University in his honor.
• Legacy: He was the chief architect of land reforms in Uttar Pradesh.

Bharat Ratna 2024 To MS Swaminathan

• A Renowned Agricultural Scientist: MS Swaminathan is known as the Father of India’s Green Revolution.
• Agricultural Transformation: In the 1960s, he implemented new technology and innovations in agriculture that transformed India’s food security situation. 
  • He introduced high-yielding seeds, modern irrigation techniques, and optimal use of fertilizers, which led to a remarkable increase in crop productivity and making India self-sufficient in food production.
    • He invited Dr. Norman Borlaug to India after learning about his newly developed Mexican dwarf wheat variety. 
• Welfare of Farmers: He advocated for farmers welfare, emphasizing fair prices for agricultural produce and sustainable farming practices.
  • The Swaminathan Report covers key recommendations and findings related to farmer competitiveness, productivity of agriculture, irrigation, employment, food security, credit and insurance.
• Minimum Support Prices (MSP): He emphasized that MSP should at least be 50% more than average production costs, and continues to be a primary demand of farm unions across India. 
  • MSP is the price at which the government purchases crops directly from farmers.
• Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Right Act 2001: He had a significant contribution in developing the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Right Act 2001.
• Sustainable Agriculture: He dedicated his life to agricultural advancement by promoting environmentally sustainable practices.
  • He made significant contributions in ecotechnology-based bio-villages and contemporary information and communication-based Village Knowledge Centres.
  • He promoted the idea of an “evergreen revolution”.
    • A continuous improvement in agricultural productivity without harming the environment.
  • He emphasized the importance of preserving biodiversity, protecting the environment and promoting organic farming practices.
  • He established the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in 1988 to promote sustainable agriculture and rural development.
    • MSSRF focuses specifically on tribal and rural communities with a pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature approach.
• Agricultural Heritage Site: He had a significant role in the global recognition of the “Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere (Go MMB)” and Kerala’s Kuttanad known for ‘traditional cultivation of paddy below sea-level’ as a globally important agricultural heritage site.
• Achievements: Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from 2007 to 2013.
  • International Awards: Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1971), Albert Einstein World Science Award (1986), World Food Prize (1987), UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize (1994), Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal (2000) and Mahatma Gandhi Prize of UNESCO (2000) 
  • National Awards: S.S. Bhatnagar Award (1961), Padma Shri (1967), Padma Bhushan (1972),  Padma Vibhushan (1989), Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development (2000)  and Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award (2007).
• Legacy: He helped modernize Indian agriculture, an innovator and mentor and encouraged future generations.
  • The Bharat Ratna award posthumously honors his vision of an ‘Evergreen Revolution,’ aiming for sustainable productivity without ecological harm, and cements his status as a true champion of India’s agrarian landscape.

News Source: The Hindu