 "Pranab Mukherjee")
Former president Pranab Mukherjee, Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader, the late Nanaji Deshmukh, and singer Bhupen Hazarika were on Friday conferred the country's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
Deshmukh and Hazarika were conferred the award posthumously, while Mukherjee was president between 2012 and 2017.
Calling Mukherjee "an outstanding statesman of our times", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was "delighted that he has been conferred the Bharat Ratna".
"He has served the nation selflessly and tirelessly for decades, leaving a strong imprint on the nation's growth trajectory. His wisdom and intellect have few parallels," Modi said, according to
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