Sansad Ratna Awards 2025: Honouring Parliamentary Excellence

On 26th July 2025, seventeen Members of Parliament (MPs) were honoured with the Sansad Ratna Awards for their exceptional contributions in the 18th Lok Sabha. Instituted to encourage parliamentary excellence, these awards recognize MPs who demonstrate consistency, commitment, and quality participation in debates, discussions, and committee work.

Background

The Sansad Ratna Awards were instituted in 2010, inspired by the vision of former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who advocated recognition for outstanding parliamentarians. They are awarded annually based on objective performance parameters such as debates, private members’ bills, questions raised, and committee participation. Over time, the awards have become a benchmark for evaluating legislative productivity and accountability.

Significance

• Encouraging Accountability: Recognizes MPs for transparent and constructive parliamentary work.
• Strengthening Democracy: Motivates legislators to actively participate in policymaking and debate.
• Setting Standards: Provides a measurable yardstick for parliamentary effectiveness.
• Acknowledging Consistency: Rewards MPs who have maintained a high level of performance across multiple terms.

Key Highlights of 2025 Awards

• Total Awardees: 17 MPs from different parties and regions.
• Notable Winners: Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Ravi Kishan (BJP), Nishikant Dubey (BJP), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-UBT).
• Special Jury Awards: Four MPs for consistent performance since the 16th Lok Sabha — Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJP), N.K. Premachandran (RSP), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Shrirang Appa Barne (Shiv Sena).

Committee Category

• Standing Committee on Finance (chaired by Bhartruhari Mahtab).
• Standing Committee on Agriculture (chaired by Dr. Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress).

Objectives of the Awards

• To inspire MPs to raise the standard of parliamentary debates.
• To foster accountability and transparency in legislative work.
• To encourage youth and citizens to appreciate effective parliamentary practices.
• To institutionalize recognition for consistent and high-quality contributions.