About the Sansad Ratna Awards
The Vision: A Suggestion by Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
The Sansad Ratna Awards (Jewels of Parliament) were instituted in 2010 to honour the top-performing Parliamentarians of India. The awards were founded by the Prime Point Foundation and the e-magazine PreSense following a specific suggestion by Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India. Dr Abdul Kalam himself launched the first Award event in 2010 through a teleconference. He believed that the hard work of performing MPs, who contribute significantly to debates and policy-making without disruption, should be recognised by civil society.
Institutional Legacy and Reach
Since its inception, the Sansad Ratna Awards have evolved into a prestigious institution of transparency and parliamentary excellence. By the completion of the 15th Edition in July 2025, the Foundation has conferred a total of 143 awards (including individual MPs and Parliamentary Committees) for their exemplary performance in the temple of democracy.
- Objective Selection Process
To maintain the highest standards of trust, the selection is strictly performance-linked and data-driven. The core parameters include:
- Participation in Debates
- Number of Questions raised
- Private Members' Bills introduced
- Attendance
- Number of Reports, including Original reports presented by the Parliamentary Standing Committees
The data is sourced from official websites of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and compiled by PRS Legislative Research.
Sansad Ratna Awards Committee
- K. Srinivasan (Prime Point Srinivasan) - Founder and Chairman Emeritus
- Priyadharshni Rahul - Chairman
Eminent Jury Committee
The selection is overseen by an independent Jury Committee of distinguished peers. For the 18th Lok Sabha (2025),
- Shri Hansraj G Ahir, Chairman: Former Chairman of National Commission for Backward Classes in the rank of Union Cabinet Minister and Former Minister of State, Home - First Sansad Ratna Awardee
- Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Co-Chairman: Chairman, Parliamentary Committee on Finance and 7th time MP
- Shri T S Krishnamurthy, Co-Chairman: Former Chief Election Commissioner of India
Other Members
- Shri N K Premachandran MP from Kerala
- Smt. Supriya Sule MP from Maharashtra
- Shri Shrirang Appa Barne MP from Maharashtra
- Shri T G Venkatesh, Former Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh
- Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Former Lok Sabha MP from Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Prof. Dr Sudarshan Padmanabhan, Professor at IIT Madras
- Shri Srinivasa Prabhu, Former Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat
Categories of Excellence
The awards cover various categories to ensure comprehensive recognition:
- Sansad Ratna Awards: For top performers in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha annually.
- Sansad Maha Ratna Awards: For consistent performance throughout the five-year term of a Lok Sabha.
- Special Jury Awards: For sustained excellence across multiple terms (e.g., 3 successive terms).
- Committee Awards: Honouring Standing Committees for their legislative reports
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