Claim: Sachin Tendulkar is a cricketer.

The Bharat Ratna -LRB- -LSB- bʰaːrt̪ rt̪ n -RSB- ; Jewel of India -RRB- is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India . Instituted in 1954 , the award is conferred `` in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order '' , without distinction of race , occupation , position , or sex . The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts , literature , science , and public services , but the government expanded the criteria to include `` any field of human endeavour '' in December 2011 . The recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President , with a maximum of three nominees being awarded per year . Recipients receive a Sanad -LRB- certificate -RRB- signed by the President and a peepal-leaf -- shaped medallion ; there is no monetary grant associated with the award . Bharat Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence .   The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were politician C. Rajagopalachari , philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , and scientist C. V. Raman , who were honoured in 1954 . Since then , the award has been bestowed on 45 individuals , including 12 who were awarded posthumously . The original statutes did not provide for posthumous awards but were amended in January 1955 to permit them . The former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri became the first individual to be honoured posthumously . In 2014 , cricketer Sachin Tendulkar , then aged 40 , became the youngest recipient ; while social reformer Dhondo Keshav Karve was awarded on his 100th birthday . Though usually conferred on India-born citizens , the Bharat Ratna has been awarded to one naturalised citizen , Mother Teresa , and to two non-Indians , Pakistan national Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and former South African President Nelson Mandela . On 24 December 2014 , the Indian government announced the award to independence activist Madan Mohan Malaviya -LRB- posthumously -RRB- and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee .   The Bharat Ratna , along with other personal civil honours , was briefly suspended from July 1977 to January 1980 , during the change in the national government ; and for a second time from August 1992 to December 1995 , when several public-interest litigations challenged the constitutional validity of the awards . In 1992 , the government 's decision to confer the award posthumously on Subhash Chandra Bose was opposed by those who had refused to accept the fact of his death , including some members of his extended family . Following a 1997 Supreme Court decision , the press communiqué announcing Bose 's award was cancelled ; it is the only time when the award was announced but not conferred .   Several bestowals of the award have met with criticism . The posthumous award for M. G. Ramachandran -LRB- 1988 -RRB- was considered to have been aimed at placating the voters for the upcoming assembly election and posthumous awards of Madan Mohan Malaviya -LRB- 2015 -RRB- and Vallabhbhai Patel -LRB- 1991 -RRB- drew criticism for they died before the award was instituted .