President Pranab Mukherjee will personally visit former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s residence to confer on him the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, on March 27.
The Union Government on December 25, coinciding with Vajpayee’s birthday, had announced the prestigious Bharat Ratna for the former Prime Minister and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malaviya.
A total of 43 people have been honoured with the Bharat Ratna since its inception, including scientist CV Raman, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, singer lata Mangeshkar and politician C Rajagopalachari.
In visiting Vajpayee’s residence, the President would be departing from the established protocol of presenting the awards in Rashtrapati Bhawan. A Bharat Ratna for Madan Mohan Malaviya, freedom fighter and educationist, was one of the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaigns.