GK01 · Awards and Honours

Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest gallantry award — awarded for extraordinary bravery in the presence of the enemy. It is equivalent to the Victoria Cross (UK) and Medal of Honor (USA). The Ashoka Chakra is the highest peacetime gallantry award. CDS always tests this distinction.

Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award — given for bravery, courageous action or sacrifice away from the battlefield (e.g., counter-terrorism, anti-insurgency). It is announced only on Republic Day (26 January). Param Vir Chakra is the highest wartime award.

Savitri Khanolkar (born Eva Yvonne Maday de Maros in Switzerland, later an Indian citizen) designed the Param Vir Chakra. Her son-in-law, Major Somnath Sharma, was the first posthumous recipient of the award (Battle of Badgam, 1947).

Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award — given for exceptional service of the highest order to the nation, irrespective of race, occupation, position or sex. It may be awarded posthumously. The order is: Bharat Ratna → Padma Vibhushan → Padma Bhushan → Padma Shri.

5 Bharat Ratna awards were announced in 2024 — the most in a single year: PV Narasimha Rao (posthumous), Chaudhary Charan Singh (posthumous), MS Swaminathan (posthumous), LK Advani, and Karpoori Thakur (posthumous). Typically, the award is given to 1–3 persons per year.

Major Dhyan Chand — India's legendary hockey player who won 3 Olympic gold medals (1928, 1932, 1936). The award was renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in August 2021 by the Government of India.

Dronacharya Award is given to coaches for producing medal-winning performances at the Olympic or Paralympic Games, World Championships, or other major international events. It is named after Dronacharya, the legendary guru of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata.

Amartya Sen won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his contributions to welfare economics, including his work on famines, poverty, and the capability approach to development. Abhijit Banerjee won it in 2019. Both are Bengali economists.

Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with Kailash Satyarthi of India. Satyarthi received it for his campaign against child labour and trafficking (Bachpan Bachao Andolan). Malala received it for her struggle for the right of all children to education.

1913. Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his collection Gitanjali. He was the first Asian and first Indian to win the Nobel Prize in any field. He also wrote the national anthems of India (Jana Gana Mana) and Bangladesh (Amar Shonar Bangla).

Literature. The Sahitya Akademi's Jnanpith Award is India's highest literary honour, established in 1961. It is given for outstanding contribution to Indian literature. The first recipient was G. Sankara Kurup in 1965 for Malayalam literature.

Outstanding achievement in sport. The Arjuna Award recognises consistent outstanding performance in sport over at least four years. The Dhyan Chand Award is for lifetime achievement, and the Dronacharya Award is for coaches.

Ashoka Chakra is announced exclusively on Republic Day (26 January). The Param Vir Chakra and other wartime awards are announced on both Republic Day (26 Jan) and Independence Day (15 Aug). This distinction is a classic CDS question.

Won two bronze medals at a single Olympics — first Indian woman ever to achieve this. She won the 10m Air Pistol Individual event and the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team (with Sarabjot Singh) at Paris 2024, making her the first Indian woman with two medals at a single Games.

Nihon Hidankyo — a Japanese organisation of atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki — was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2024 for its efforts toward a world free of nuclear weapons and for its testimony about the catastrophic effects of atomic bombs.

Youngest Classical World Chess Champion at 18 years 8 months — breaking Garry Kasparov's record set in 1985. Gukesh defeated Ding Liren (China) in Singapore in December 2024 to become the first Indian to win the Classical World Chess Championship.

Dhyan Chand Award recognises lifetime achievement in sport and contribution to the promotion of sports after retirement from active playing career. It is named after Major Dhyan Chand. The Arjuna Award is for active sportspersons; Khel Ratna is the highest sporting honour.

Major Dhyan Chand (born 29 August 1905) — the legendary hockey wizard who led India to three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1928 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles, 1936 Berlin). National Sports Day is celebrated on his birthday with the presentation of national sports awards.

1979. Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work with the poor, sick, and dying in Calcutta. Born in present-day North Macedonia, she became an Indian citizen and is officially recognised as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta by the Catholic Church.

PVC → Maha Vir Chakra → Vir Chakra. Param Vir Chakra (1st/highest) → Maha Vir Chakra (2nd) → Vir Chakra (3rd). For peacetime: Ashoka Chakra (1st) → Kirti Chakra (2nd) → Shaurya Chakra (3rd). The Shaurya Chakra is the most commonly awarded peacetime gallantry award.