NEW DELHI: Former President Pranab Mukherjee will be honoured with India's highest civilian honour on Thursday. President Ram Nath Kovind will felicitate Pranab Mukherjee, social activist Dadabhai Narauji (posthumous) and musician and singer Bhupen Hazarika (posthumously) with Bharat Ratna. On the eve of Republic Day (26th January) this year, the Indian government had announced the Bharat Ratna to social activist Nanaji Deshmukh and noted musician and singer Bhupen Hazarika, in addition to former President Pranab Mukherjee.

Pranab Mukherjee was the country's President from July 2012 to July 2017. Earlier, he had also taken over the responsibility of important ministries like Finance, Defence and External Affairs. From 2004 to 2012, he was regarded as a key "crisis-maker" in the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. Mukherjee became the youngest finance minister in the country in 1982 at the age of 47.

Since 2004, he had held the affairs of three key Ministries, Ministry of External Affairs, Defence and Finance. Mukherjee was the President of the country from 2012 to 2017. Mukherjee had faced criticism from some people for attending an RSS function in Nagpur last year.

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