New Delhi (PTI): Former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh as well as agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday.

The government had earlier announced the country's highest civilian honour for L K Advani and Karpoori Thakur.

"Narasimha Rao steered India through critical transformations and also enriched its cultural and intellectual heritage," Modi said on X.

Rao's visionary leadership, Modi said, was instrumental in making India economically advanced and laid a solid foundation for its prosperity, growth.

"Bharat Ratna to Charan Singh dedicated to his incomparable contribution to country," the prime minister said.

"Swaminathan made monumental contributions to country in agriculture and farmers' welfare," Modi said.

He played a pivotal role in helping India achieve self-reliance in agriculture and made outstanding efforts in modernising it, the prime minister said.

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Haveri: Former Karnataka minister Manohar Tahsildar (80) passed away late Wednesday night at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He had been battling a prolonged illness and was undergoing treatment at Shankar Hospital in Chamarajpet.

Tahsildar is survived by four sons, two daughters, and a large family. A member of the Balija community, he held a BE in Mechanical Engineering. First elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Hanagal constituency in 1978, he went on to win again in 1989, 1999, and 2013.

During S.M. Krishna’s tenure as Chief Minister, Tahsildar served as the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. In 2015, he held the Excise portfolio in the Congress government. However, discontent over not receiving a ticket in the last Assembly elections led him to leave Congress and join the JD(S). Later, during the Lok Sabha elections, he switched to the BJP.

The mortal remains of Manohar Tahsildar will be kept for public viewing at NCJC College in Hanagal town today from 12 noon. Following this, the final rites will be conducted on his family farm in Akkiholi village.