Frequently Asked Questions
Sansad Ratna Awards – Official Information
The Sansad Ratna Awards (Jewels of Parliament) were conceptualised in 2009 to honour the top-performing Indian Parliamentarians. The concept was founded by Prime Point Srinivasan, following a suggestion by the 11th President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. These prestigious awards are presented annually by the Prime Point Foundation and the eMagazine PreSense.
Before the 15th General Election, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam suggested to Prime Point Srinivasan that outstanding performers in the 14th Lok Sabha should be identified and celebrated. Following this guidance, Srinivasan published the performance data of top MPs in the March 2009 edition of PreSense, marking the beginning of this initiative.
The inaugural ceremony took place in May 2010 at the historic Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya in Chennai. This venue was personally founded by Mahatma Gandhi in the early 1930s. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam inaugurated this first event via teleconference, where the “Unsung Heroes Award” was presented to Hansraj G. Ahir and S.S. Ramasubbu by retired Chief Election Commissioners T S Krishnamurthy and N Gopalaswamy.
From 2012 to 2018, the ceremonies were held at IIT Madras. In 2019, (10th anniversary), the event was hosted at the Darbar Hall (now Lok Bhavan) of Raj Bhavan, Chennai. Since 2021, the venue has moved to New Delhi, with ceremonies held at the Constitution Club of India or Maharashtra Sadan.
Up to the 15th edition held in 2025, a total of 143 awards have been presented to individual Members of Parliament and Parliamentary Standing Committees. Notably, every single awardee has received their honour in person on stage.
Selection is based on objective performance data provided by Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and PRS Legislative Research. The criteria include the number of debates initiated, Private Member Bills introduced, and questions raised in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. For Committees, selection is based on the quality and number of original reports presented to Parliament.
A Jury Committee, chaired and co-chaired by eminent Parliamentarians and Constitutional authorities, reviews the performance data to select the awardees strictly on merit. The process is transparent and announced through a press release by the Committee. There is no need for individual nominations by anybody.
Yes. In 2024, the Hon’ble President and Hon’ble Vice President of India invited the awardees and organisers for a formal High Tea and photo session. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted the awardees on multiple occasions through official messages and tweets. Besides, various Governors and Chief Ministers have sent greeting messages during the award events. Dr Abdul Kalam himself has devoted one full chapter on Sansad Ratna Awards in his last book titled “A Manifesto for Change”.
- Prime Point Srinivasan: Founder and Chairman Emeritus. He is a renowned communications expert, digital journalist, and the Publisher of PreSense.
- Priyadharshni Rahul: Chairman of the Sansad Ratna Awards Committee. Based in Delhi, she is a Supreme Court Advocate and Editor-in-Chief of PreSense.
Full details, including the history of past winners, are available in our official brochure, which can be downloaded from this site. For further enquiries, please contact us at prpoint@gmail.com.
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