National Award of India
Indian Government appreciate its citizens for their valuable contribution in various field and services and give awards to make their contribution memorable. Here is the list of all the important national award of India.
Indian awards can be classified into mainly four types, namely, Civilian, Military, Leadership, and Literature awards. Other Indian awards are granted for bravery, sports, etc.
Civilian Awards
Civilian Awards in India are the highest honor that a citizen can receive. These awards are given to people who show special skills in art, literature and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, trade, and industry, etc.
Bharat Ratna
Bharat Ratna means Jewel of India or Gem of India and is the highest civilian award that a citizen of India can receive. It was started in 1954 for a person showing exceptional service in any field of human endeavor.
Suggested Read: National Flag Of India
Padma Awards
Padma Awards were instituted in the year 1954 and are announced yearly on Republic Day.
Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest award after Bharat Ratna and is given to a person who shows exceptional and distinguished service in and field toward the Republic of India.
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in India. It is also given for a person showing distinguished service of a high order.
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award given to a person who shows distinguished service.
Suggested Read: National Days Of India
Military Awards
The awards are military decorations awarded to the Armed forces in India for showing extraordinary bravery and courage. They are further divided into.
Wartime gallantry awards
Param Vir Chakra
It is the highest military award and was replaced by the Victoria Cross which was given by the British government before independence and is equivalent to the Medal of Honor in the United States.
Maha Vir Chakra
This is the second-highest military award/ military decoration given to a person showing gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO).
Vir Chakra
This is the third-highest military award and was replaced by the British Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), Military Cross (MC), and Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).
Peacetime gallantry awards
Ashok Chakra Award
This award is given for valor, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. This is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.
Kirti Chakra
This is the second Peacetime gallantry award, it is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra.
Shaurya Chakra
The third highest Peacetime gallantry awards and comes after the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra.
Suggested Read: National Symbols Of India
National Award
Women
Nari Shakti Puraskar – Nari Shakti Puraskar means Woman Power Award is India’s highest civilian award for recognizing the achievements and contributions of women. It is given every year on 8 March, International Women’s Day.
Children
National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement – National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement is given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. It is given to children with exceptional abilities and who have achieved outstanding status in various fields including academics, arts, culture, design, innovation, research, and sports.
Suggested Read: National Flower Of India
Literature Awards
Jnanpith Award – It is an Indian literary award given for outstanding contribution towards literature.
Sahitya Akademi Award – It is a literary honor in India, and is given to writers of the most outstanding books.
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship – Indian literary honor bestowed by the Sahitya Akademi, which is the Indian National Academy of Letters.
Bhasha Samman – Sahitya Akademy gives these special awards to writers for significant contributions to Indian languages other than the above 24 major ones and also for contribution to classical & medieval literature.
Translation Awards – The Sahitya Akademi annually gives these awards for outstanding translations of major works in other languages into one of the 24 major Indian languages.
Anand Coomaraswamy Fellowships – It is given to scholars from Asian countries to spend 3 to 12 months in India to pursue a literary project.
Premchand Fellowship – Named after Hindi writer Premchand, the fellowship was started in 2005. It is given to persons of eminence in the field of Culture from SAARC countries.
Suggested Read: Indian National Motto
National Sports Awards
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna – This is the highest sporting honor of the Republic of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Dronacharya award – This is the sports coaching honor of the Republic of India. The award is named after Drona, often referred to as “Dronacharya” or “Guru Drona”, a character from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata of ancient India.
Arjuna award – this award is given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in sports.
Dhyan Chand Award – This is the lifetime achievement sporting honor of the Republic of India. The award is named after Dhyan Chand who scored more than 1000 goals in Indian field hockey.
Suggested Read: Indian National Sport
National Bravery Award
The National Bravery Award is annually given to 25 Indian children below 16 years for meritorious acts of bravery against all odds. The award is given by the Government of India and the Indian Council for Child Welfare.
The awards are usually announced on 14 November, Children’s Day, or in January the following year, and later presented by the prime minister on the eve of Republic Day.
Suggested Read: National Pledge of India
