Sachin Tendulkar and Professor CNR Rao to be conferred Bharat Ratna today

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao will be conferred with the country's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function here today.

Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket on November 16 last year, will be the first sportsman to receive the country's highest civilian honour.

Prof. Rao is an eminent scientist and a well-recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry. He has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books.

Prof. Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships.

He has been honoured with several national and international awards.