Awards and Honours — Study Notes

Overview

Awards and Honours is a high-yield topic in SSC GD where 2–4 questions routinely appear. Questions test your ability to match award names with recipients, recall the year or field of honour, and identify the hierarchy or purpose of civilian and military awards. This topic is purely memory-based — you must know **who received which award, when, and why**. Success depends on systematic memorisation of India's top civilian honours (Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri), gallantry awards (Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, etc.), and notable Indian Nobel Prize winners. Examiners frequently ask about **recent awardees** (last 2–3 years) and **first recipients** or **most famous recipients** in each category. Keep a running list updated through current affairs and revise this topic monthly to stay exam-ready.

Understanding the hierarchy and purpose of each award helps eliminate wrong options. For instance, knowing that Bharat Ratna is higher than Padma awards or that Param Vir Chakra is wartime while Ashok Chakra is peacetime allows you to reason through unfamiliar names. For Nobel laureates, focus on Indian-origin scientists, economists and peace activists — the SSC GD syllabus does not require exhaustive global lists.

Key Concepts

• **Bharat Ratna** is India's highest civilian award, given for exceptional service in any field. It has no formal recommendations and is announced directly by the President. No more than three awards per year. Notable: no monetary grant, recipients get precedence in the Indian Order of Precedence.

• **Padma Awards** are announced on Republic Day each year. They come in three tiers: Padma Vibhushan (exceptional service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service), Padma Shri (distinguished service in any field). Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian honour after Bharat Ratna and the two higher Padmas.

• **Gallantry Awards** recognise acts of bravery. They are divided into **wartime** (Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra) and **peacetime** (Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra). Param Vir Chakra is the highest military decoration, equivalent to the Victoria Cross or Medal of Honor.

• **Nobel Prize** winners from India include Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913), C.V. Raman (Physics, 1930), Mother Teresa (Peace, 1979), Amartya Sen (Economics, 1998), Kailash Satyarthi (Peace, 2014), and Abhijit Banerjee (Economics, 2019). Note that some laureates (e.g. Har Gobind Khorana) were Indian-born but held foreign citizenship at the time of award.

• Questions often pair an award with a field (sports, arts, science, public service) or ask you to identify the **year of institution** (e.g. Bharat Ratna instituted in 1954, Padma awards in 1954, Param Vir Chakra in 1950).

• Current affairs integration: SSC GD tends to ask about awardees from the **announcement year** or the year immediately preceding the exam. Always review the latest Padma and Bharat Ratna lists published on Republic Day.

• Remember that gallantry awards can be posthumous. Many Param Vir Chakra recipients received the honour after sacrificing their lives in battle.

• Bharat Ratna can be awarded to **any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex**. It has been awarded to non-Indians (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Nelson Mandela).

Formulas / Key Facts

• **Bharat Ratna instituted**: 2 January 1954. First recipients: C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman (all 1954).
• **Padma Awards instituted**: 1954. Categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri.
• **Param Vir Chakra instituted**: 26 January 1950. Highest wartime gallantry award. 21 recipients to date (mostly posthumous).
• **Ashok Chakra**: Highest peacetime gallantry award. Equivalent in status to Param Vir Chakra but for acts of valour away from battlefield.
• **Nobel Prize facts**: Rabindranath Tagore (1913, Literature, first Asian Nobel laureate), C.V. Raman (1930, Physics, first Asian in science), Mother Teresa (1979, Peace), Amartya Sen (1998, Economics), Kailash Satyarthi (2014, Peace, child rights), Abhijit Banerjee (2019, Economics, poverty alleviation).
• **Gallantry hierarchy (wartime)**: Param Vir Chakra > Maha Vir Chakra > Vir Chakra.
• **Gallantry hierarchy (peacetime)**: Ashok Chakra > Kirti Chakra > Shaurya Chakra.
• **Bharat Ratna has no monetary reward**; Padma awards carry no cash but confer national recognition and precedence.
• **First woman Bharat Ratna**: Indira Gandhi (1971). First Bharat Ratna to a non-Indian: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987).
• **Padma Awards suspended**: 1978–79 and 1993–97 due to various controversies and legal challenges.

Worked Examples

**Example 1**: Who was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra? *Solution*: Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient of Param Vir Chakra. He was awarded posthumously for his bravery in the 1947 Kashmir operations. Recognise that the award was instituted on 26 January 1950, and the earliest conflicts involved the Indo-Pak war of 1947–48. Memorise at least 3–4 famous PVC awardees: Major Somnath Sharma (first), Captain Vikram Batra (Kargil War), Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (1971 war).

**Example 2**: Match the award with the field: (A) Bharat Ratna – Sports, (B) Padma Vibhushan – Literature, (C) Ashok Chakra – Gallantry, (D) Nobel Prize – Medicine. *Solution*: Bharat Ratna is for any field (answer could be sports but often given for public service, arts, science). Padma Vibhushan is correctly paired with Literature (e.g. many authors receive it). Ashok Chakra is correctly for gallantry (peacetime). Nobel Prize in Medicine is a valid category (Physiology or Medicine). In SSC GD questions, you eliminate clearly wrong matches. If the question says "Bharat Ratna – Sports only", that is incorrect since Sachin Tendulkar received Bharat Ratna for sports but it is not limited to sports.

**Example 3**: Who among the following received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019? (A) Amartya Sen (B) Abhijit Banerjee (C) Kailash Satyarthi (D) C.V. Raman *Solution*: (B) Abhijit Banerjee. He shared the 2019 Nobel in Economics with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Amartya Sen won in 1998. Kailash Satyarthi won Peace in 2014. C.V. Raman won Physics in 1930. Recognise that recent awards (within 5 years of your exam) are commonly tested.

Common Mistakes

• **Confusing Padma hierarchy**: Students mix up Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. Remember Vibhushan > Bhushan > Shri. Vibhushan is second only to Bharat Ratna among civilian awards.
• **Mixing wartime and peacetime gallantry**: Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra are for acts of valour in the face of the enemy (war). Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra are for peacetime bravery. If the question mentions "combat with terrorists in peacetime", the answer is Ashok Chakra series, not PVC series.
• **Outdated Nobel laureate lists**: Not updating your notes for recent winners. Always add the last 2–3 years of Indian or India-connected Nobel laureates from current affairs.
• **Assuming Bharat Ratna is annual**: Bharat Ratna is not awarded every year. Some years see no awards. Don't assume "one per year" logic.
• **Ignoring field diversity in Bharat Ratna**: Students expect only politicians or freedom fighters. Recent recipients include sports stars (Sachin Tendulkar), scientists (C.N.R. Rao), singers (M.S. Subbulakshmi, Bhimsen Joshi). Examiners test breadth of knowledge.

Quick Reference

• **Bharat Ratna**: Highest civilian, instituted 1954, no limit on field, max 3/year, no cash prize.
• **Padma trio**: Vibhushan > Bhushan > Shri. All announced Republic Day, instituted 1954.
• **Param Vir Chakra**: Highest wartime gallantry, 21 recipients, mostly posthumous, instituted 1950.
• **Ashok Chakra**: Highest peacetime gallantry, equivalent status to PVC but not in war.
• **Nobel (India)**: Tagore 1913 Lit, Raman 1930 Physics, Mother Teresa 1979 Peace, Sen 1998 Econ, Satyarthi 2014 Peace, Banerjee 2019 Econ.
• **Recent Padma/Bharat Ratna**: Always review the latest Republic Day list before your exam. This is the easiest 1–2 marks you can secure.