The former Bihar Chief Minister and socialist leader Karpoori Thakur (posthumously) will be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
Who was Karpoori Thakur?
- He was born on January 24, 1924, in Pitaunjhia (now Karpoori Gram), Samastipur district, Bihar.
- He was a son of a marginal farmer from the Nai (barber) community.
- He went on to serve twice as Chief Minister of Bihar — first between December 1970 and June 1971 as part of the Bharatiya Kranti Dal and later between December 1977 and April 1979 from the Janata Party.
- He was named Jannayak, or People’s Leader. He was a freedom fighter, incarcerated during the Quit India movement in 1942.
- He was part of the anti-Emergency movement, along with another great socialist leader, Jayaprakash Narayan.
- During Thakur’s Chief Ministership in 1977, the Mungeri Lal Commission submitted its report recommending that backward classes be reclassified as extremely backward classes (including weaker sections of Muslims) and backward classes.
- The report was implemented in 1978. This paved the way for 26% reservation for them in the government services in Bihar in November 1978.
About ‘Bharat Ratna’
- ‘Bharat Ratna’, the highest civilian Award of the country, was instituted in the year 1954.
- Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for these awards.
- It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour.
- The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister himself to the President. No formal recommendations for this are necessary.
- The number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
- On conferment of the award, the recipient receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. The Award does not carry any monetary grant.
