Important Gallantry Awards

PARAM VIR CHAKRA :

It is the highest decoration of valour awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or some daring
or prominent act of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy on land, sea or air.
The first awardee of this award was Somnath Sharma.

MAHA VIR CHAKRA :

It is the second highest decoration. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the
presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air.
The first awardee of this award this was Dewan Ranjit Rai.

VIR CHAKRA :
It is the third in the order of awards for acts of gallantry in the face of the enemy on land,sea or
air.
The first awardee of this award this was Nadikerianda Bheemaiah.

ASHOK CHAKRA:
Awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or some daring act of valour or self-sacrifice on
land, at sea or in the air.
The first awardees of this were Naik Nar Bahadur Thapa, Havildar Bachittar Singh, Flt Lt Suhas
Biswas.

Some Important Awards in the World

Awards and Honours
Prize Field
Nobel Prize Peace, Literature, Medicine, Physics, Chemistry (From 1901)
and Economics (From 1969)
Pulitzer Prize Journalism (From 1917)
Academy (Oscar) Awards Film (From 1929)
Booker Prize Literature (From 1929)
Grammy Award Music (From 1958)
Ramon Magasaysay Award Government (Public) Service, Social Service, Journalism,
Literature, Communication and International Understanding
(From 1957)
Bourlog Award Agriculture (From 1992)

Some Important Awards in the India

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 Dada Saheb Phalke Award Film (From 1969)
Jnanpith Award Literature (From 1965)
Saraswati Samman Literature (From 1991)
Vachaspati Samman Sanskrit Literature (From 1992)
Shankar Award Indian Philosophy, Culture and Art
Vyasa Samman Literature
Kabir Samman Socio – communal Harmony
Dronacharya Award Sports Coaching/Training (From 1985)
Arjuna Award Sports (From 1961)
Kalinga Award Science (From 1952)

First Awardees..

1. Firsts in India (Male)

1. First Indian to get Bharat Ratna Award: Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
2. First Indian to get Jnanpeeth Award: G. Shankar Kurup
3. First Person to get Paramvir Chakra : Major Somnath Sharma
4. First Indian Scientist to get Nobel Prize: C.V. Raman (Physics)
5. First Scientist of Indian origin, to get Nobel : Dr. Hargovind Khurana
Prize in the field of Medical Science
6. First Scientist of Indian origin to win Nobel : Subrahmanium Chandrashekhar
Prize in Physics
7. First Indian to win Magsayasay Award : Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1958)
8. First foreign recipient of Bharat Ratna : Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
9. First Indian recipient of Nobel Prize in Economics : Dr. Amartya Sen

2. Firsts in Indian (Female)

1. First Woman to get Ashok Chakra: Nirja Bhanot
2. First Indian Woman to get the Noble Prize : Mother Teresa (1979)
3. First Indian Woman to get Bharat Ratna : Smt. Indira Gandhi
4. First Woman to get Jnanpith Award : Ashapurna Devi
5. First Indian Woman to win the Booker Prize : Arundhati Roy
6. First Woman Musician to get ‘Bharat Ratna’ : M.S. Subbulakshmi

3. Firsts in the world (Male & Female)

1. First man to win Nobel Prize for Literature: Rena F.A. & Sulli Pradhom (France)
2. First man to win Nobel Prize for Peace: Jin F. Dunant (Switzerland) & Frederic Peiry (France)
3. First man to win Nobel Prize for Physics: W.K. Roentgen (Germany)
4. First man to win Nobel Prize for Chemistry:J.H. Wenthoff (Howlland)
5. First man to win Nobel Prize for Medicine: A.E. Wonn Behrig (Germany)
6. First man to win Nobel Prize for Economics: Rangar Fish (Norway) & John Tinbergen
(Holland)

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International Gandhi Peace Prize
a) The Government of India launched the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995 on the
occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi.
b) This award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social,
economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.
c) The first awardee of this prize was Julius Nyerere.
d) In 2014, this award was given to ISRO i.e. Indian Space Research Organization.

Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

a) The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize or the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development is accorded annually by India to individuals or organizations in recognition of
creative efforts toward promoting international peace, development and a new international
economic order; ensuring that scientific discoveries are used for the larger good of humanity,
and enlarging the scope of freedom.
b) It was firstly awarded in 1986 to Parliamentarians for Global Action. PGA is a non-profit, non-
partisan international network of committed legislators, informs and mobilizes
parliamentarians in all regions of the world to advocate for human rights and the rule of law,
democracy, human security, non-discrimination, and gender equality.
c) The first person to be awarded this award was Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, he was awarded.
d) In 2014, Indian Space Research Organisation was awarded with this award.

Civilian Awards
Bharat Ratna, Padma Vubhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are the various civilian
awards.

Bharat Ratna
a) It is the premier civilian award, to serve the nation.
b) The various fields are scientific achievements literary, scientific accomplishment, as well as
the gratitude of community service of the highest category. From 2011, the Prime Minister and
the Home Minister of India changed the qualified criterion to permit sportsmen for receiving
the award.
c) This was first given to C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan & C. V. Raman in 1954.
d) In 2015, this was given to Madan Mohan Malaviya(posthumous) & Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Padma Vubhushan
a) Ranking wise the second award is the Padma Vibhushan in the Indian Republic. It awarded
people from various fields including government service to distinguish extraordinary service for
the country.
b) It was firstly awarded to Satyendra Nath Bose, Zakir Hussain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher,
Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, Nand Lal Bose, V. K. Krishna Menon in 1954.

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c) In 2015 it was awarded to, L. K. Advani, Amitabh Bachchan, Parkash Singh Badal, Veerendra
Heggade, Dilip Kumar, Rambhadracharya, M.R. Srinivasan, Kottayan Katankot Venugopal & Aga
Khan IV.

Padma Bhushan
a) The Padma Bhushan is the highest civilian award third in rank in the Indian Republic,and
comes after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan. The President of India launched this
award on 2nd January 1954.
b) In 1954, 23 were given Padma Bhushan and in 2015, 20 were given Padma Bhushan award.

Padma Shri
a) Padma Shri or Padmashree is the fourth award high in order in the Indian Republic, after the
Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan.
b) It is awarded by the Government of India.
c) It is awarded to citizens of India for their distinguished contribution in several fields including
Education, Literature, Arts, Science, Industry, Social Service, Medicine, Sports and Public Affairs.
d) In 1954, 18 were given Padma Shri award and in 2015, 75 were selected for Padma Shri
award.

Sports Awards

Dronacharya Award
a) Instituted in 1985, the Dronacharya Award is presented by the Indian Government for
brilliance in sports coaching.
b) This was first given to O.M. Nambiar, Om Prakash Bhardwaj & Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat.
In 2014, this was given to Jose Jacob & [Link].

Dhyan Chand Award

a) The Dhyan Chand Award is the highest lifetime achievement award in sports and games in
India and is presented by the Indian Government.
b) It was initiated in 2002.
c) It was firstly given to Aparna Ghosh, Ashok Diwan & Shahuraj Birajdar. In 2015, this was given
to Romeo James, Shiv Prakash Mishra & [Link].

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

a) In India, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is the highest honor given for accomplishment in
sports.
b) The award was initiated in 1991-92 to offer a highest national tribute in the field of sports.
c) It was first given in 1991-92 to Viswanathan Anand & in 2014-15, it is given to Sania Mirza.

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Literary Awards

Jnanpith Award:
It is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a trust founded by the publishers of the The Times of
India. The award was instituted in 1961, and its first recipient, in 1965, was the Malayalam
writer G. Sankara Kurup. For the year 2014, it was awarded to Bhalchandra Nemade.

Vyas Samman:
First awarded in 1991, it is awarded annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation. To be eligible for the
award, the literary work must be in the Hindi language and have been published in the past 10
years. In 1991, it was given to Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma & for the year 2014 it was given to Kamal
Kishore Goyenka.

Saraswati Samman:
for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any Indian language listed in Schedule VIII of
the Constitution of India. Instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation.
In 1991, it was given to Harivansh Rai Bachchan & for the year 2014, Veerappa Moily was
awarded with this award.

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