Awards & Honours — Study Notes

Overview

Awards and honours represent national and international recognition of excellence in various fields. For UP Police Constable exams, this topic consistently appears with 2-4 questions covering Indian civilian awards (Padma awards, Bharat Ratna), gallantry awards (Param Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra), and international honours like the Nobel Prize. Questions typically ask about recent recipients (last 2-3 years), the hierarchy of awards, eligibility criteria, and award categories.

Understanding this topic requires memorizing the order of precedence, recognizing which award is given for what achievement, and staying updated with the latest awardees. The syllabus emphasizes recent recipients, so focus on awards announced in 2022-2024. Questions may appear as direct facts ("Who received Bharat Ratna in 2024?"), match-the-following, or statement-based reasoning. Strong command over this topic guarantees easy marks as questions are factual and straightforward.

This topic also connects with current affairs and personalities from sports, arts, public service and defence — making integrated learning efficient.

Key Concepts

• **Order of Precedence**: Indian civilian awards follow a strict hierarchy — Bharat Ratna (highest), Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri. Gallantry awards have separate hierarchies for wartime and peacetime.

• **Civilian vs. Gallantry Awards**: Civilian awards recognize excellence in arts, literature, science, public service, sports, and social work. Gallantry awards honour acts of bravery and valour by armed forces and civilians.

• **Award Categories**: Padma awards are announced on Republic Day (January 26) and conferred by the President. Bharat Ratna has no fixed number per year and can be awarded posthumously.

• **Gallantry Award Hierarchy (Wartime)**: Param Vir Chakra (highest), Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra. For peacetime: Ashok Chakra (highest), Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra.

• **Nobel Prize Categories**: Physics, Chemistry, Medicine/Physiology, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences. Indian Nobel laureates include Rabindranath Tagore, CV Raman, Mother Teresa, Amartya Sen, Kailash Satyarthi, and Abhijit Banerjee.

• **Eligibility & Selection**: Padma awards are open to all Indian citizens and foreigners. Self-nomination is allowed online. Recommendations are made by state governments and ministries to the Padma Awards Committee.

• **Recent Trends**: Government increasingly recognizes grassroots workers, unsung heroes, and contributions to tribal welfare, traditional arts, medicine, and social work. Women and posthumous awards feature prominently.

• **Bharat Ratna Special Status**: Limited to maximum 3 awards per year. No monetary grant. Carries medal and scroll. Instituted in 1954; suspended 1977-80, then resumed. Cannot be used as title.

Formulas / Key Facts

• **Bharat Ratna**: Highest civilian award; instituted 1954; no fixed number annually (max 3); recognizes exceptional service/performance in any field.

• **Padma Vibhushan**: Second-highest civilian award; for exceptional and distinguished service.

• **Padma Bhushan**: Third rank; for distinguished service of high order.

• **Padma Shri**: Fourth rank; for distinguished service in any field.

• **Param Vir Chakra (PVC)**: India's highest military decoration for wartime valour; established 1950; only 21 recipients to date (most posthumous).

• **Ashok Chakra**: India's highest peacetime gallantry award; equivalent to Param Vir Chakra; awarded to armed forces and civilians.

• **Maha Vir Chakra**: Second-highest wartime gallantry award for acts of conspicuous gallantry.

• **Kirti Chakra**: Second-highest peacetime gallantry award for conspicuous bravery.

• **Vir Chakra & Shaurya Chakra**: Third-tier gallantry awards for wartime and peacetime bravery respectively.

• **Indian Nobel Laureates**: Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913), CV Raman (Physics, 1930), Har Gobind Khorana (Medicine, 1968 — US citizen), Mother Teresa (Peace, 1979), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Physics, 1983 — US citizen), Amartya Sen (Economics, 1998), Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (Chemistry, 2009 — US/UK citizen), Kailash Satyarthi (Peace, 2014), Abhijit Banerjee (Economics, 2019 — US citizen).

• **Bharat Ratna 2024**: Announced for Karpoori Thakur (posthumous), LK Advani, PV Narasimha Rao (posthumous), Chaudhary Charan Singh (posthumous), MS Swaminathan (posthumous).

• **Padma Awards 2024**: 132 awardees including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, 110 Padma Shri. Notable: Vani Jairam (posthumous, music), MT Vasudevan Nair (literature), S Nambi Narayanan (space science).

Worked Examples

**Example 1**: Which is the correct order of Indian civilian awards from highest to lowest? **Solution**: The order is — Bharat Ratna → Padma Vibhushan → Padma Bhushan → Padma Shri. Bharat Ratna is the highest, followed by three tiers of Padma awards. This hierarchy is standard and unchanging.

**Example 2**: Name the highest gallantry award for peacetime bravery in India. **Solution**: Ashok Chakra. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous bravery or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is equivalent in status to Param Vir Chakra (wartime). Both can be awarded to military personnel and civilians.

**Example 3**: Who was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize and in which field? **Solution**: Rabindranath Tagore in 1913 for Literature. He won for his collection of poems "Gitanjali" (Song Offerings), making him the first non-European Nobel laureate in Literature.

**Example 4**: If a question asks: "Which award is given for wartime gallantry and ranks below Param Vir Chakra?" **Solution**: Maha Vir Chakra. The wartime gallantry hierarchy is PVC > MVC > Vir Chakra. Maha Vir Chakra is the second-highest decoration for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy.

Common Mistakes

• **Confusing Ashok Chakra with Param Vir Chakra**: Students mix these up. Remember PVC = wartime highest, Ashok Chakra = peacetime highest. They are equivalent in rank but awarded under different circumstances.

• **Assuming Bharat Ratna must be given every year**: Bharat Ratna has no annual quota. Some years see multiple awards, other years none. There is no compulsion to award it annually. Maximum 3 per year is only an upper limit.

• **Mixing Padma award tiers**: Students often reverse Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. Correct order: Vibhushan (higher) > Bhushan > Shri. "Vibhushan" sounds grander — that's the second-highest civilian award.

• **Forgetting posthumous awards**: Many recent Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are posthumous (e.g., MS Swaminathan, PV Narasimha Rao). Do not assume awards are only for living persons. Always check status when memorizing recent lists.

• **Not updating recent awardees**: Exam questions heavily favour last 2-3 years. Memorizing 2020 awardees won't help if the exam is in 2024. Always revise the most recent Republic Day announcements and Nobel Prize winners from the current/previous year.

Quick Reference

• **Civilian award order**: Bharat Ratna > Padma Vibhushan > Padma Bhushan > Padma Shri.
• **Wartime gallantry order**: Param Vir Chakra > Maha Vir Chakra > Vir Chakra.
• **Peacetime gallantry order**: Ashok Chakra > Kirti Chakra > Shaurya Chakra.
• **Bharat Ratna 2024**: Karpoori Thakur, LK Advani, PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh, MS Swaminathan (all posthumous except Advani).
• **First Indian Nobel**: Rabindranath Tagore (1913, Literature).
• **Padma Awards announced**: Republic Day (January 26) every year.