List of Awards in India

Awards are given to a recipient as a token of honour and recognition of excellence in a certain field. In India, Govt. recognized awards are mainly categorized in Civilian Awards and Gallantry Awards. Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the country. It is is followed by Padma Vibhushan, Padma bhushan and Padma Shri. After independence, first three gallantry awards namely Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were instituted on 26th January, 1950 which was deemed to have effect from the 15th August, 1947. Here is the list of some such civilian and gallantry awards.

List of Awards in India
Award Established In Category Details
Bharat Ratna 1954 Civilian Highest Civilian Award given for recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order.
Param Vir Chakra 1950 Military It India's highest wartime gallantry award. It is given for highest degree of valour in the presence of the enemy during war time.
Ashoka Chakra 1952 Military It is India's highest peacetime military decoration award. The Ashok Chakra series of awards are open to civilians also. These awards are biannual and are given on the Republic Day and Independence Day.
Padma Vibhushan 1954 Civilian It is the second-highest civilian award in India. The awrd is given for exceptional and distinguished service in any field including service rendered by Government servants.
Padma Bhushan 1954 Civilian It is the third-highest civilian award in India. The awrd is given for exceptional and distinguished service in any field including service rendered by Government servants.
Padma Shri 1954 Civilian It is the fourth-highest civilian award in India. The awrd is given for exceptional and distinguished service in any field including service rendered by Government servants.
Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak 1961 Civilian It is a Civilian Lifesaving award given by Indian Government for saving lives from drowning, fire, or mine accidents.
Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak 1961 Civilian It is a Civilian Lifesaving award given by Indian Government for saving lives from drowning, fire, or mine accidents.
Jeevan Raksha Padak 1961 Civilian It is a Civilian Lifesaving award given by Indian Government for saving lives from drowning, fire, or mine accidents.
Shaurya Chakra 1952 Military Awarded for gallantry otherwise than in the face of the enemy. This award may be granted to civilians or to military personnel and may be awarded posthumously.
Vir Chakra 1947 Military Acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land or at sea or in the air.
Vyas Samman 1991 Literature The award is given annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation and includes a cash payout of Rs 4,00,000. 
Saraswati Samman 1991 Literature The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any of the 22 languages of India.
Jnanpith award 1961 Literature This literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature".
Dadasaheb Phalke Award 1969 Film The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema. It is presented annually by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Arjuna Award 1961 Sports The award is given to recognize outstanding achievement in sports. The Arjuna Awards are given annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
Dronacharya Award 1985 Sports Dronacharya Award is given to the sports coaches for their outstanding contribution.
Dhyan Chand Award 2002 Sports Dhyan Chand Award is a Lifetime Achievement award in Sports and Games in India.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 1991 Sports It is the highest sporting honour in India.
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 1958 Science and Technology The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award is given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and Physics.
International Gandhi Peace Prize 1995 Peace The award is named after Mahatma Gandhi. It is awarded annually by the Government of India for contribution in Peace.
Sahitya Akademi Award 1954 Literature It is given to the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the major Indian languages recognised by the Akademi.
Sangeet-Natak Akademi Award 1952 Literature The Sangeet-Natak Akademi Award is given for highest achievement in music, dance and drama.

"Indian award list" is an important topic in competitive GK exams. The questions related to "Indian award list" is common in any GK exam question papers. It is a key static GK topic that needs attention. It will be easy to scores on this topic once candidates by heart the above list.