President of India announced that the Bharat Ratna would be awarded to socialist leader and former Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur, posthumously.This comes at a time when three-day celebrations are being held in Bihar to mark his birth centenary.
Karpoori Thakur
- Karpoori Thakur, called as “Jan Nayak”, was a prominent Indian politician who served as the 11th Chief Minister of Bihar twice, from 1970-71 and 1977-79.
- Early Life and Political Foundation (1942-1967): He was a freedom fighter and a staunch socialist who worked under the guidance of stalwarts such as Jayaprakash Narain, Dr Rammanohar Lohia and Ramnandan Mishra.
- Represented the Nai community, listed as an Extremely Backward Class (EBC) among OBCs.
- Entered politics in 1952, serving as a legislator until 1985.
- Chief Ministerial Term and Policies: In 1977, during his Chief Ministership, Mungeri Lal Commission recommended reclassifying backward classes into extremely backward classes (including weaker sections of Muslims) and backward classes.
- In 1978, he introduced a groundbreaking reservation model, allocating 26% of reservations with specific quotas for OBCs, EBCs, women, and economically backward classes among upper castes.
- This reclassification was also seen as a percussor of the Mandal Commission report, advocating for 27% reservations for Other Backward Classes.
- Implemented wide-ranging policies, including the promotion of Hindi, and Urdu as the second official language, waiving school fees, and strengthening Panchayati Raj.
Bharat Ratna Award
- Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
- History and Evolution: Instituted in 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex.
- The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science, and public services.
- But in December 2011, the government expanded the criteria to include any field of human endeavour.
- First Recipients: The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and C. V. Raman, honoured in 1954.
- Most recently, in 2019, it was awarded to Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hajarika and Pranab Mukherjee.
Key Aspects
- It is not mandatory that Bharat Ratna be awarded every year.
- There is no written provision that Bharat Ratna should be awarded to Indian citizens only.
- The award has been awarded to a naturalized Indian citizen, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa (1980) and to two non-Indians – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela (1990).
- Recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister of India to the President.
- The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
- On conferment of the award, the recipient receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion.
- The Award does not carry any monetary grant.
- In terms of Article 18 (1) of the Constitution, the award cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient’s name.
- However, an award holder consider it necessary, using the following expression in their biodata/letterhead/visiting card etc. to indicate that he/she is a recipient of the award: Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President or Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award.