President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the country's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, on freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya  (posthumously) today.

The family of the noted educationist was present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today to receive the award.

The government had announced the decision to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 24 last year.

Born in on December 25, 1861, Pandit Malviya was catapulted into the political arena immediately after his first moving speech at the second Congress session held in Kolkata in 1886.

He was President of INC in 1909 and 1918. His main achievement was the establishment of the Banaras Hindu University.