--- title: "Which Indian Prime Minister was the first to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?" description: "Which Indian Prime Minister was the first to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?" author: "Bhavin Singh" published: 2018-03-29 canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/40274/which-indian-prime-minister-was-the-first-to-be-awarded-the-bharat-ratna-posthumously category: "general knowledge" tags: ["prime minister", "general knowledge"] reading_time: 3 minutes --- # Which Indian Prime Minister was the first to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously? Which [Indian](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2471/wazirx-received-828-requests-from-indian-international-law-enforcement-agencies) [Prime Minister](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/52132/theresa-may-announced-resignation-from-her-post-recently-she-was-the-prime-minister-of-which-country) was the first to be awarded the [Bharat](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/34761/kunwar-bai-the-brand-ambassador-of-swachch-bharat-has-passed-away-she-was-native-of-which-state) [Ratna posthumously](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/35111/which-indian-prime-minister-was-the-first-to-be-awarded-the-bharat-ratna-posthumously)? \ \ \ ## Answers ### Answer by Biswajeet Bhattacharya ![Which Indian Prime Minister was the first to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/8cbd4081-a5e6-4480-b69c-307e48c07c1a/images/be56a796-a04c-401b-8a80-b70e4de8d776.jpeg) \ **Lal Bahadur Shastri (2nd October 1904 – 11th January 1966)** was the **first** to be awarded **Bharat Ratna** posthumously in the year **1966**. He was the **second Prime Minister of India**. ![Which Indian Prime Minister was the first to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/8cbd4081-a5e6-4480-b69c-307e48c07c1a/images/9bb13a7f-5d11-416b-b1a4-54a69dd6d710.jpeg) **Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India**. The award is presented for exceptional service of the highest order without distinction of religion, gender or occupation. The award was established in the year **1954** and is given by the **President of India**. The **Prime minister of India** recommends to **the President** with a maximum of **three nominations per year**. The recipient of the award receives a **certificate** signed by **the President** along with a **peepal leaf shaped medallion**. The peepal leaf medallion is inscribed with an **image of Sun** along with the words **Bharat Ratna** written in **Devanagari** script. ![Which Indian Prime Minister was the first to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/8cbd4081-a5e6-4480-b69c-307e48c07c1a/images/86cbe448-e89c-41b2-b285-d1862beaff89.jpeg) \ **Lal Bahadur Shastri** became the **Prime Minister of India** in **1964** after the demise of the then Prime Minister **Jawahar Lal Nehru**. Nehru died in office on **27th may 1964** and Lal Bahadur Shastri was sworn in as the **second Prime Minister** of the country on **9th June 1964**. Shastri was the Prime Minister of the country from **9th June 1964 – 11th January 1966.** Apart from being the Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri also shared the portfolio of the **External AffairsMinistry from 9th June 1964 – 18 July 1964**. He was the **Minister of Home Affairs from 4th April 1961 – 29 August 1963** and the **Minister of Railways from 1951-1956**. He held both these government post under **Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.** \ Shastri belonged to the **Indian National Congress party**. He was a loyal follower of **Mahatma Gandhi** and joined the **Indian Freedom Struggle in 1920**. ![Which Indian Prime Minister was the first to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/8cbd4081-a5e6-4480-b69c-307e48c07c1a/images/07f4c078-acea-46d6-b1f2-eae099506059.jpeg) After becoming the **Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri** led the country in the **India Pakistan war of 1965** giving the slogan **‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ (‘Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer’)**. This slogan became immensely popular during the war and is still remembered today. The Indo-Pak war ended with the **Tashkent Agreement on 10th January 1966** and Shastri passed away the following day following a heart attack. However, it is still suspected that it was a planned murder by the **CIA.** \ \ --- Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/40274/which-indian-prime-minister-was-the-first-to-be-awarded-the-bharat-ratna-posthumously Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.