Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has proposed for Bharat Ratna to be awarded posthumously to the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata. The proposal, which has been approved at the state level, will be sent to the Central government.
The Maharashtra government has declared a day of mourning in the state to pay tributes to the iconic industrialist. Tata’s mortal remains are being kept at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in south Mumbai from 10 am to 4 pm and his last rites will be performed in the Worli area of Mumbai later in the day. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the last rites.
Tata breathed his last on Wednesday at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. He was 86 years old. Tata was in critical condition and was under intensive care. Tata had said on Monday that he was undergoing routine medical investigations due to his age and related medical conditions.
In 2008, Tata received the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honor in India, after receiving the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honor in 2000. He joined Tata Group in 1961, where he worked on the shop floor of Tata Steel. He later succeeded J R D Tata as chairman of Tata Sons upon the latter’s retirement in 1991. Under his tenure, the Tata Group acquired Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus, in an attempt to turn Tata from a largely India-centric group into a global business.
