Which of the following individuals were conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour of India, in the 2019 list of awardees?

Introduction / Context:
This question concerns the Bharat Ratna, which is the highest civilian honour of India. Competitive examinations frequently ask about recent awardees, especially in the year immediately following the announcement. In 2019, three prominent individuals were selected for this honour, covering fields of politics, social service, and music. Remembering their names as a group is essential for general awareness and static plus current affairs preparation.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The question asks specifically about the 2019 list of Bharat Ratna awardees.
- It offers four grouped options, each listing three names.
- Only one of these groups correctly represents the set of individuals who received Bharat Ratna in that year.
- We assume standard government notifications and widely reported news on civilian honours as the factual basis.

Concept / Approach:
The concept is recall of recent Bharat Ratna awardees, especially when multiple people are honoured in the same list. In 2019, the award was conferred on former President Pranab Mukherjee, social worker and ideologue Nanaji Deshmukh, and legendary Assamese musician and singer Bhupen Hazarika. The approach is to identify the option that lists exactly these three names together and to ignore other combinations that mix awardees from different years or do not correspond to actual Bharat Ratna lists.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that in 2019, Bharat Ratna was conferred on three individuals: Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh, and Bhupen Hazarika. Step 2: Carefully read each option and see which one lists these three names together. Step 3: Option A mentions Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh and Bhupen Hazarika, which matches exactly with the list remembered from current affairs. Step 4: Option B combines names like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Sachin Tendulkar, who were Bharat Ratna recipients in other years, not in the 2019 list. Step 5: Options C and D list historical leaders who were not part of the 2019 award announcement, so these can be ruled out, leaving option A as correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
Government press releases and national news coverage from 2019 clearly state that the Bharat Ratna was conferred on former President Pranab Mukherjee, social worker Nanaji Deshmukh, and singer Bhupen Hazarika. Various competitive exam guides and yearbooks list this trio under the 2019 entry for Bharat Ratna recipients. This direct match of three names confirms that option A is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sachin Tendulkar and C N R Rao: Though Sachin Tendulkar and C N R Rao did receive Bharat Ratna, they were honoured earlier. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also honoured in a different year. They do not form the 2019 list as a group.
Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and Lata Mangeshkar: These names either received Bharat Ratna at different times or have complex historical discussions attached, but they were not jointly announced in the 2019 list.
Mahatma Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad and Jawaharlal Nehru: Mahatma Gandhi was never formally awarded Bharat Ratna, and the grouping does not correspond to any official Bharat Ratna announcement, so this option is clearly incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
A major pitfall is to recognise a few familiar Bharat Ratna recipients and assume that any group containing them must be correct, regardless of the year. Candidates may also forget that the question refers specifically to the 2019 awardees and not to all recipients together. To avoid such mistakes, it is important to pay attention to the year mentioned in the question and to recall which group of awardees belongs to that year alone.

Final Answer:
The individuals who were conferred Bharat Ratna in the 2019 list of awardees were Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh and Bhupen Hazarika.