In the year 1954, the Bharat Ratna award was inaugurated by the then President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. The first recipients were S Radhakrishnan, Sir CV Raman, and C Rajagopalachari.
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Bharat Ratna awardees
As of today, 49 people have been conferred with the Bharat Ratna award over the span of 70 years.
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12 states
The Bharat Ratna award has been conferred upon people from 12 states in India.
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States with no recipients
States like Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Jharkhand have not had any Bharat Ratna recipients.
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Uttar Pradesh boasts of 9 recipients
The other tally is as follows: Tamil Nadu-8, Maharashtra-8, West Bengal-6, Bihar-4, Karnataka-3, Gujarat-2, and one each from Telangana, Odisha, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam.
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Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was conferred with the Bharat Ratna. He holds the distinction of being the first non-Indian to receive this prestigious honour.
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Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela, the renowned leader from South Africa, was also honoured with the Bharat Ratna.