President to confer Bharat Ratna on ex-PMs Charan Singh, Narasimha Rao & three others on March 30
New Delhi, March 14: President Droupadi Murmu will confer Bharat Ratna on five eminent personalities on March 30, including two former Prime Ministers and veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani, sources said on Thursday.
Among the five personalities to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, except for former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, four others -- ex-Prime Ministers Chaudhary Charan Singh and P.V. Narasimha Rao, eminent agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan, and former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, would be awarded posthumously.
Confirming the development, a source said that they will be conferred with the Bharat Ratna on March 30.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had posted on X: "Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao Garu, will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna. As a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao Garu served India extensively in various capacities.
"He is equally remembered for the work he did as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister, and as a Member of Parliament and Legislative Assembly for many years. His visionary leadership was instrumental in making India economically advanced and laying a solid foundation for the country's prosperity and growth.
While announcing the honour for Chaudhary Charan Singh, PM Modi wrote on X: "It is the good fortune of our government that former Prime Minister of the country, Chaudhary Charan Singh, is being honoured with Bharat Ratna. This honour is dedicated to his incomparable contributions to the country. He had dedicated his entire life to the rights of farmers and their welfare."
PM Modi had also announced Bharat Ratna for agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan.
"It is a matter of immense joy that the Government of India is conferring the Bharat Ratna on M.S. Swaminathan Ji, in recognition of his monumental contributions to our nation in agriculture and farmers' welfare. He played a pivotal role in helping India achieve self-reliance in agriculture during challenging times and made outstanding efforts towards modernising Indian agriculture," the Prime Minister said.