Indian Civil Awards are recognised by the Government of India. These honours are given out annually to several people who serve the Indian diaspora. Amongst the several awards the Bharat Ratna is the most prestigious Indian Civil Award. Handed over by the President of India it is awarded to people who have served the nation in the best possible ways. Personages from the fields of science, literature or other forms of art can be the recipient of this Indian Civil Award. Besides this there are several other awards, such as, the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Rashtrapati Award, etc which are quite esteemed in India.

There are several Indian Civil Awards that are awarded to common men for extraordinary deeds. The Bravery Awards organised by Godfrey Phillips India Ltd. recognise the unprecedented courage shown at the hours of need by ordinary citizens. There are several peace awards, such as, Gandhi Peace Prize and Indira Gandhi Peace Award as well. These are awarded to individuals or institutions for their contribution in changing the society by following the postulates of non violence.

Indian Gallantry Awards are government approved and are handed over to the defence personnel for their services in safeguarding the nation. There are several Indian Civil Awards pertaining to the fields of sports, performing arts and literature. Personages like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, C. Rajagopalachari, C. V. Raman, V. V. Giri, J. R. D. Tata, Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Buddhadeb Basu, B. R. Ambedkar, Satyajit Ray, Bidhan Chandra Roy, Amartya Sen, Mother Teresa, Sunil Gavaskar and others have been honoured by the Indian Civil Awards for their priceless contribution to the Indian society.

Bharat Ratna National Bravery Award Padma Bhushan Padma Shri Awards Padma Vibhushan Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Ramineni Foundation Awards Sahitya Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award