New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu has conferred Bharat Ratna to five eminent personalities, including two former Prime Ministers.

The honour to BJP veteran L. K. Advani will be conferred to him at his residence on Sunday. In 2015, India’s highest civilian honour was conferred in this manner to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as well.

Of the five personalities who were given the honour this year, except for former Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani, former Prime Ministers Chaudhary Charan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao, eminent agricultural scientist and architect of Green Revolution M.S. Swaminathan, and former Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur, have been awarded posthumously.

This is the first time five personalities have been awarded Bharat Ratna in the same year.