Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Late Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya will be honoured with Bharat Ratna the country's highest civilian award. The announcement was made in a press communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhawan this morning.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who was the first Prime Minister from outside Congress to serve a full five-year term from 1998 to 2004. A parliamentarian for over four decades, Mr. Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha nine times, and twice to the Rajya Sabha .

Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was an Indian educationist and politician well known for his role in Indian freedom struggle. He was the President of the Indian National Congress in 1909 and 1918. He is most remembered as the founder of Banaras Hindu University, the largest residential university in Asia .