Awards are the token of respect and honour conferred to the people with noteworthy achievements. The list of awards in India is vast as people have been marking great achievements in various fields.
The major categories of Awards in India are:
- Civilian Awards
- Gallantry Awards
This article is about the list of awards in India for various fields of achievements. This is an important topic for aspirants appearing for UPSC and other government exams.
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Civilian Awards
Civilian Awards are conferred to people with outstanding achievements in their field of work. These awards are presented to the respective recipients by the President of India on Republic Day. The inception year of these Civilian awards is 1954.
Civilian Awards are categorized according to the degree of honour.
The Civilian awards conferred are:
- Bharat Ratna- 1st degree of honour
- Padma Vibhushan- 2nd degree of honour
- Padma Bhushan- 3rd degree of honour
- Padma Shri- 4th degree of honour
Bharat Ratna
Bharat Ratna is the highest Civilian Award in India. This award is conferred for achievements in the field of Science, Literature, Arts and Public Services. In 2013, sports were also included in this award category.
The award has the shape of a peepal leaf and is bronze-toned. The award has the emblem of Sun in the middle, and the words “Bharat Ratna” are inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari Script. On the reverse side, it has the State Emblem and State Motto.
Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibushan is the second-highest civilian award in India. This is conferred to people with distinguished achievements in the field of Arts, Literature, Science, Public Services.
This award has a circular shape with a geometric pattern superimposed on the circle and is toned bronze. In the centre of the circle, a lotus flower is embossed. The word “Padma” and “Vibushan” are inscribed above and below the lotus flower in Devnagri Script. On the reverse side, it has the State Emblem and State Motto.
Padma Bhushan
This is the third-highest civilian award in India and is conferred to people with achievements for service in any field including service rendered by Government servants including doctors and scientists, but exclude those working with the public sector undertakings.
This award has a similar design to the Padma Vibhushan. All the embossing is done in gold.
Padma Shri
In the order of rank, Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award. This award is conferred to people for achievements in any field including the service rendered by the Government employees.
The shape of the award is the superimposition of a geometric pattern on the circle.
The words “Padma” and “Shri” are embossed above and below the lotus flower in the centre.
All the embossing is done in stainless steel and the periphery is furnished in bronze.
List of Civilian Awards and Awardees 2021
Civilian Awards in India 2021:-Download PDF Here
Candidates should note that no Bharat Ratna was conferred in 2021. The Padma Awards 2021 were conferred by the Indian President, and these are listed below:
List of Civilian Awards & Awardees 2020
List of Civilian Awards & Awardees 2019
|
Civilian Awards |
Recipients |
| Bharat Ratna | Pranab Mukherjee
Nanaji Deshmukh (Posthumously) Bhupen Hazarika (Posthumously) |
| Padma Vibhushan | Ms. Teejan Bai
Shri Ismail Omar Guelleh (Foreigner) Shri Anilkumar Manibhai Naik Shri Balwant Moreshwar Purandare |
| Padma Bhushan | Shri John Chambers (Foreigner)
Shri Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa Shri Pravin Gordhan (Foreigner) Shri Mahashay Dharam Pal Gulati Shri Ashok Laxmanrao Kukade Shri Kariya Munda Shri Budhaditya Mukherjee Shri Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair Shri S Nambi Narayan Shri Kuldip Nayar (Posthumous) Ms. Bachendri Pal Shri V K Shunglu Shri Hukumdev Narayan Yadav |
| Padma Shri | Rajeshwar Acharya – Art-Vocal-Hindustani – Uttar Pradesh
Bangaru Adigalar – Spiritualism – Tamil Nadu Illias Ali – Medicine-Surgery – Assam Manoj Bajpayee – Art-Acting-Films – Maharashtra Uddhab Kumar Bharali – Science & Engineering-Grassroots Innovation – Assam Omesh Kumar Bharti – Medicine (Rabies) – Himachal Pradesh Pritam Bhartwan – Art-Vocals-Folk – Uttarakhand Jyoti Bhatt – Art-Painting – Gujarat Dilip Chakravarty – Archaeology – Delhi Mammen Chandy – Medicine (Hematology) – West Bengal Swapan Chaudhuri – Art-Music-Tabla – West Bengal Kanwal Singh Chauhan – Agriculture – Haryana Sunil Chhetri – Sports (Football) – Telangana Dinyar Contractor – Art-Acting-Theatre – Maharashtra Muktaben Pankajkumar Dagli – Social Work (Divyang Welfare) – Gujarat Babulal Dahiya – Agriculture – Madhya Pradesh |
List of Civilian Awards & Awardees 2019:- Download PDF Here
Information on Famous Awards in India and the Awardees of 2019 is covered under static GK in UPSC exam. For more such articles on Static GK check the page linked here.
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Gallantry Awards
Gallantry Awards are presented to the personnel in the forces for bravery and valour.
The Gallantry awards that are conferred in India are as follows (in the order of precedence):
- Param Vir Chakra
- Ashoka Chakra
- Mahavir Chakra
- Kirti Chakra
- Vir Chakra
- Shaurya Chakra
Major facts about the Gallantry Awards
- The first 3 awards in this category that came into existence after independence are- Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra.
- These awards are conferred twice a year- on Republic Day and Independence Day.
- The other 3 gallantry awards were introduced in 1952- Ashok Chakra Class I, Ashok Chakra Class II, Ashok Chakra Class III. Later, they were named as Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
- The gallantry Awards have a certain selection process for the recipients.
Selection Process for Gallantry Awards
The basic selection process for these awards are:
- In the case of Armed Forces, the award is initiated by the Unit.
- The recommended personnel name are sent to the Service Headquarters under the supervision of Commanders in the chain.
- The Awards Committee verifies the list and gets it approved by the Chiefs before sending the proposal to the Ministry Of Defence.
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Param Vir Chakra
Param Vir Chakra is the highest order of recognition in the Military and is conferred to personnel who have performed a distinguished act of valour at the time of war.
The name of the award is also referred to as the “Wheel of the Ultimate Brave”. The medal is a circular bronze disc. On the front, the National Emblem of India appears in the centre on a raised circle surrounded by four sets of the vajra. On the reverse, there are 2 inscribed legends separated by lotus flowers. The words “Param Vir Chakra” are written in Hindi and English.
Mahavir Chakra
The Maha Vir Chakra is the second-highest military honorary award in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO).
The medal is made of silver and is circular in shape. Embossed on the front is a five-pointed star with circular centre-piece on which the state emblem of India is inscribed. The words “Mahavira Chakra” are embossed in Devanagari and English on the reverse with two lotus flowers in the middle.
Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra is the third-highest honorary gallantry award in India and is conferred to personnel for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield.
The medal is a circular silver medal. A five-pointed star, with the wheel or chakra in the centre, and, on this, the state emblem is inscribed. Around a plain centre, two legends separated by lotus flowers and “Vir Chakra” is embossed in Hindi and in English.
Ashoka Chakra
Ashok Chakra is conferred to civilians or military personnel for most conspicuous bravery or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.
The award design is circular in shape and “Ashok Chakra” is inscribed both in Hindi and English and these 2 versions are separated by 2 lotus flowers.
This award is equivalent to the US Army’s peacetime Medal of Honour and the British George Cross.
Kirti Chakra
This award is presented to the Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle and is awarded to civilians as well as military personnel.
It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra and it comes in between Ashoka Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. Before 1967, the award was known as the Ashoka Chakra, Class II.
It is circular in shape and is made of silver. On the front, a replica of Ashoka Chakra in the centre is embossed and is surrounded by a lotus ring. On its reverse the words Kirti Chakra is embossed in both in Hindi and English; the versions being separated by two lotus flowers.
Shaurya Chakra
The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy.
The award is circular in shape and is toned bronze. In the centre, words “Ashoka Chakra” is surrounded by a lotus wreath and an ornate edge. On the reverse, the words “Ashoka Chakra” is inscribed in Hindi along the upper edge on the medal and the same name in English along the lower rim.
List of Gallantry Awards & Awardees 2021
The list of Gallantry Awardees 2021 is mentioned below:
| Gallantry Awardees 2021 | ||
| Maha Vir Chakra | Col Bikumalla Santosh Babu (Posthumous) | 16th Battalion, The Bihar Regiment |
| Kirti Chakra | Sub Sanjeev Kumar (Posthumous) | 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment |
| Kirti Chakra | Shri Pintu Kumar Singh (Posthumous) | CRPF |
| Kirti Chakra | Shri Shyam Narayan Singh Yadava (Posthumous) | Shyam Singh |
| Kirti Chakra | Shri Vinod Kumar (Posthumous) | CRPF |
| Kirti Chakra | Shri Rahul Mathur | CRPF |
| Vir Chakra | Nb Sub Nuduram Soren (Posthumous) | 16th Battalion, The Bihar Regiment |
| Vir Chakra | Hav K Palani (Posthumous) | 81 Field Regiment |
| Vir Chakra | Hav Tejinder Singh | 3 Medium Regiment |
| Vir Chakra | Nk Deepak Singh (Posthumous) | 16th Battalion, Bihar Regiment |
| Vir Chakra | Sep Gurtej Singh (Posthumous) | 3rd Battalion, Punjab Regiment |
| Shaurya Chakra | Maj Anuj Sood (Posthumous) | 21st Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles |
| Shaurya Chakra | Rfn Pranab Jyoti Das | 6th Battalion, Assam Rifles |
| Shaurya Chakra | Pts Sonam Tshering Tamang | 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment |
| Shaurya Chakra | Shri Arshad Khan (Posthumous) | Jammu and Kashmir Police |
| Shaurya Chakra | Shri Gh Mustafa Barah (Posthumous) | Jammu and Kashmir Police |
| Shaurya Chakra | Shri Naseer Ahmad Kolie (Posthumous) | Jammu and Kashmir Police |
| Shaurya Chakra | Shri Bilal Ahmad Magray (Posthumous) | Jammu and Kashmir Police |
List of Gallantry Awards & Awardees 2020
List of Gallantry Awards & Awardees 2019
| Gallantry Awards | Recipients |
| Vir Chakra | Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, Flying (Pilot) – Air Force. |
| Ashok Chakra | Lance Naik Nazir Wani(posthumously)- Army |
| Kirti Chakra | 1. Sapper Prakash Jadhav, The Corps Of Engineers/First Battalion The Rashtriya Rifles (posthumous) – Army
2. Shri Harshpal Singh, Dy Commandant – CRPF. |
| Shaurya Chakra | 1. Lieutenant Colonel Ajay Singh Kushwah, The Jammu And Kashmir Rifles/3rd Battalion The Rashtriya Rifles – Army.
2. Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, The Corps Of Electronic And Mechanical Engineers/55th Battalion The Rashtriya Rifles (posthumous) – Army. 3. Captain Maheshkumar Bhure, The Corps Of Engineers/34th Battalion The Rashtriya Rifles Army 4. Lance Naik Sandeep Singh, 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (special Forces) (posthumous)- Army 5. Sepoy Brajesh Kumar, The Punjab Regiment/22nd Battalion The Rashtriya Rifles (posthumous) – Army. 6. Sepoy Hari Singh, The Grenadiers/55th Battalion The Rashtriya Rifles (posthumous) – Army. 7. Rifleman Ajveer Singh Chauhan, 6th Battalion The Garhwal Rifles – Army. 8. Rifleman Shive Kumar, The Jammu And Kashmir Light Infantry/31st Battalion The Rashtriya Rifles (posthumous) – Army. 9. Amit Singh Rana – Navy. 10. Shri Sable Dnyaneshwar Shriram, Constable – CRPF. 11. Shri Zaker Hussain, Constable – CRPF. 12. Shri Ashiq Hussain Malik, Special Police Official (posthumous) – MHA. 13. Shri Subash Chander, Head Constable – J&K MHA. 14. Shri Imran Hussain Tak, Sub Inspector (posthumous) – MHA. |
List of Gallantry Awards & Awardees 2019:- Download PDF Here
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