Bharat Ratna and other national honours and awards are presented on the Republic Day in recognition of exceptional and distinguished services of high order in any field.
From 1993 to 1996, the country’s highest civilian awards such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri were not presented on the Republic Day.
The decision not to present the civilian awards in 1994 was taken in view of the petitions pending in various courts questioning the advisability of conferring of such awards and the Supreme Court’s stay proceedings on those petitions. These awards were restored by the Supreme Court in December 1995.
Bharat Ratna: The award is given for exceptional work for the advancement of art, literature and science, and in recognition of public service of the highest order.
The decoration is in the form of a peepal leaf, about 5.8 cm long, 4.7 cm wide and 3.1 mm thick. It is from toned bronze. On its obverse is embossed a replica of the sun, 1.6 cm in diameter, below which the words ”Bharat Ratna” are embossed in Hindi. On the reverse are State emblem and the motto, also in Hindi. The emblem, the sun and the rim are of platinum. The inscriptions are in burnished bronze.
The first three recipients of Bharat Ratna were Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, C. Rajagopalachari and Dr. C. V: Raman in 1954, while Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was the first- foreigner to be honoured with this award in 1987.
Padma Vibhushan: The award is given for exceptional and distinguished service in any field including service rendered by government servants.
The decoration is circular in design, with a geometrical pattern superimposed on the circle. The diameter of the circular portion is 4.4 cm and the thickness is about 0.6 mm. On the obverse, there is a lotus flower embossed on the circular space. The word “Padma” is embossed in Hindi above and the word “Vibhushan” below the lotus flower. On the reverse are the State emblem and the motto in Hindi. It is from toned bronze. The inscription “Padma Vibhushan” on the obverse, the geometrical pattern on either side and the border around the periphery are in burnished bronze. All embossing on either side of decoration is in white gold.
Padma Bhushan: The award is given for distinguished service of a high order in any field, including the service rendered by government servants.
It has the same design as the “Padma Vibhushan”. On its obverse, the word “Padma” appears above and the word “Bhushan” below the lotus flower. The inscription “Padma Bhushan” on the obverse, the geometrical pattern on either side and the border around the periphery are in burnished bronze. All embossing on either side of the decoration is in standard gold.
Padma Shri: The award is given for distinguished service in any field including the service rendered by government servants.
The name of the decoration is embossed in Hindi with the word “Padma” above and the word “Shri” below the lotus flower. The inscription “Padma Shri” on the obverse, the geometrical pattern on either side and the border around the periphery are in burnished bronze. All embossing on either side of the decoration is in stainless steel.