Source-This post is based on the article “Late former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur to be awarded Bharat Ratna” published in “Times of India” on 23rd January 2024.
Why in the News?
Recently Government of India has announced that Late former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur will be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.
Who was Karpoori Thakur?
| Aspect | Details |
| About | 1. He was an Indian politician who served two terms as the Chief Minister of Bihar. 2. He was born on January 24, 1924, in the village of Pitaunjhia (now Karpuri Gram) in the Samastipur District of Bihar. 3. He passed away in February 1988. 4. He was popularly known as Jan Nayak. He was also known as the champion of the poor. 5. He drew inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and Satyanarayan Sinha. |
| Political career | 1. He began his political journey with the Praja Socialist Party and later aligned himself with the Janata Party. 2. He was elected as a member of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha in 1952 from the Tajpur constituency as a candidate of the Socialist Party. 3. He served as a minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, before becoming the first non-Congress socialist Chief Minister of Bihar in 1970. 4. He also enforced total prohibition of alcohol in Bihar. 5. He served as the President of Samyukta Socialist Party. |
What is Bharat Ratna?
1) Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of India.
2) The award, initially focused on arts, literature, science, and public services. It was broadened to encompass ‘any field of human endeavor‘ in December 2011.
3) The provision of Bharat Ratna was introduced in 1954.
4) The first recipients of the award were scientists Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, C. Rajagopalachari and Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.
5) The award has also been given to non-Indians – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela.
6) The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
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