Bharat Ratna for PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and MS Swaminathan

The NDA-led BJP government conferred Bharat Ratna toformer prime ministers Chaudhary Charan Singh, Narasimha Rao and agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan. 

The announcement comes days after 96-year-old BJP stalwart LK Advani and two-time Bihar chief minister and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur (posthumously) were conferred with the highest civilian honour.

"Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, Shri 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 Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister, and as a Member of Parliament and Legislative Assembly for many years," the PM said in a post 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 honor is dedicated to his incomparable contribution to the country. He had dedicated his entire life to the rights and welfare of farmers. Be it the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh or the Home Minister of the country and even as an MLA, he always gave impetus to nation-building. He also stood firm against the Emergency. His dedication to our farmer brothers and sisters and his commitment to democracy during the Emergency is inspiring to the entire nation," the PM wrote in a separate post. 

On MS Swaminathan, the PM said "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 modernizing Indian agriculture. We also recognise his invaluable work as an innovator and mentor and encouraging learning and research among several students".

About them
Serving in various capacities, PV Narasimha Rao is widely credited with initiating pivotal economic reforms and appointing Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister during a challenging economic period. He died in 2004.

Chaudhary Charan Singh, India's fifth prime minister, founded the Lokdal party in 1980 and is often hailed as India's farm hero.

The father of green revolution, Dr Swaminathan played a key role in introducing high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, saving India from famine-like conditions in the 1960s.