In a felicitation ceremony held in the national capital on Thursday, Former President Pranab Mukherjee received the country’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna for 2019. The other two awardees are Late Assamese musician Bhupen Hazarika and Late social activist Nanaji Deshmukh.
Delhi: Chairman of Deendayal Research Institute, Virendrajeet Singh, receives Bharat Ratna on behalf of social activist and senior RSS leader Nanaji Deshmukh. He was conferred Bharat Ratna posthumously. pic.twitter.com/gZUZUt1TSm
— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2019
The awardees were selected by Prime Minister and referred to President by the former for the final assent. The statement carrying the awardees name was published on January 25, which was issued by Rashtrapati Bhawan. The award was presented to the selected individuals by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Bharat Ratna award is given to honor the achievement and exceptional service of an individual of the highest standard in the fields of Public Service, Art, and Science & Literature.
The award to Late Nanaji Deshmukh was given to his family member while the award to Bhupen Hazarika was presented to his son. A lot of dignitaries were present at the event including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu.
ABOUT AWARDEES:
Pranab Mukherjee-
He has honored the office of President from 2012 to 2017. He served the nation as 13th President of India. Before it, He had worked in different tiers of government handling various portfolios across his lifespan. From 2009 to 2012, he was the Union Finance Minister in Congress government.
Bhupen Hazarika-
The late Assamese singer has been accredited with introducing Assam folk and culture to the mainstream Hindi cinema. He made music on a variety of themes ranging from romance to political arena.
Interestingly, Prime Minister launched Dhola-Sadiya bridge in 2017, naming it after late singer Bhupen Hazarika. the bridge overshadows the Lohit river, which is a major tributary of Brahmaputra river.
Nanaji Deshmukh-
He was one of the founding father of Bharatiya Jan Sangh. He actively participated in the Emergency movement of 1975. He had been the member of Lok sabha, then got nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1999. He is known for his social activities.
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