Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis recommends to the centre the Bharat Ratna to be conferred posthumously on Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

Jyotiba Phule is credited with raising the social and political consciousness of the lower castes and carrying out a number of pioneering social and religious reforms. His wife Savitribai is considered a pioneer in pushing the cause of women’s education.