In Indian civilian honours, which award is bestowed by the President of India on persons for rendering exceptional and distinguished service in any field?

Introduction / Context:
India has a graded system of civilian awards that recognise different levels of service and achievement. The Padma awards and the Bharat Ratna are important components of this system. Many exams ask candidates to distinguish between these honours using the official wording that defines each award. In this question, the key phrase is exceptional and distinguished service in any field, which matches a specific Padma award.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- The award is a civilian honour presented by the President of India. - The wording refers to exceptional and distinguished service in any field. - The options list Bharat Ratna, Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. - We assume awareness of the official descriptions of these awards.

Concept / Approach:
The official description of the Padma Vibhushan states that it is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service in any field, including service rendered by government servants. Bharat Ratna is for exceptional service of the highest order, which is similar but phrased differently and is a higher rank. Padma Bhushan is for distinguished service of high order, and Padma Shri is for distinguished service in any field. Thus, the exact phrase exceptional and distinguished service most closely matches Padma Vibhushan.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Recall that Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award, given for exceptional service or performance of the highest order, which is a stronger phrase than the one in the question. 2. Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award and is described as recognising exceptional and distinguished service. 3. Padma Bhushan is given for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field, without the words exceptional and distinguished together. 4. Therefore, the wording in the question exactly aligns with the Padma Vibhushan description. 5. Hence, Padma Vibhushan must be selected as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
The Ministry of Home Affairs and other official documents clearly list the criteria for each civilian award. Checking these, we see that Padma Vibhushan is defined as for exceptional and distinguished service, Bharat Ratna is described using highest order, and the other Padma awards use slightly different phrases. Many GK books reproduce these definitions and map this exact phrase to Padma Vibhushan, confirming the answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Bharat Ratna, although the highest civilian award, is described as for exceptional service or performance of the highest order, not specifically exceptional and distinguished service. Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan refer to distinguished service but do not include the word exceptional in their standard descriptions. Therefore, these options do not precisely match the phrase given in the question and are therefore incorrect in this context.

Common Pitfalls:
Because all these awards are related and their descriptions sound similar, candidates sometimes choose Bharat Ratna simply because it is the highest civilian honour. Others may focus only on the word distinguished and pick Padma Bhushan or Padma Shri. To avoid confusion, it is important to memorise the exact wording for each level of award and to note that Padma Vibhushan is linked to exceptional and distinguished service. Systematic comparison of wordings helps in answering such fine distinction questions correctly.

Final Answer:
The civilian award described as being for exceptional and distinguished service in any field is the Padma Vibhushan.