(Image source from: Dhyan Chand to get Bharat Ratna this year?})

Who will be the recipeient of this year's Bharat Ratna award? Will it be Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose or former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or hockey great Dhyan Chand?

Amid speculations and controversies over the Bharat Ratna award, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has received recommendations for conferring the country's highest award to hockey legend Major Dhayan Chand. The Lok Sabha has been duly informed about the recent development.

Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award, bestowed on an individual in recognition of his/her exceptional service or performance of highest order in fields of human behaviour.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated that Late Major Dhayan Chand's name has been recommended from several quarters for the Bharat Ratna, though such formal recommendations are not necessaryto bestow the highest award to an individual.

The recommendations were forwarded to the PMO, added Rijiju while replying to a written query in Lok Sabha.

Recently there were lots of speculation over who would be conferred with the Bharat Ratna this year. The names of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and hockey legend Dhyan Chand were doing the rounds in media circle.

Although there is no formal nomination process, recommendations for the award can only be made by the Prime Minister of India to the President with a maximum number of three nominatees being awarded per year.

The speculation over the most coveted award of the year were fuelled by reports of five Bharat Ratna medallions being ordered by the home ministry.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and scientist CNR Rao were the recent recipients of the Bharat Ratna award. Others who have received the Bharat Ratna award include Sitar player Ravi Shankar, Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen, Playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, Shehnai player Bismillah Khan and Hindustani classical vocalist Bhimsen Joshi.

(AW: Pratima Tigga)