Media Eye News Bureau: The government announced 85 Padma awards recently. While three were Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan, and 73 Padma Shri, 16 awardees were either foreigners, PIOs, or NRIs, and three of the awards were conferred posthumously.
The Padma Awards are conferred in three categories; they are Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri and are the highest civilian awards of the country. The 'Padma Vibhushan' is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; 'Padma Bhushan' for distinguished service of high order and 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field.
The awards are given in various disciplines of activities, art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service.
In a move to commemorate the silver jubilee of the India-ASEAN partnership, this year’s list of recipients includes a citizen from an ASEAN country as well.
Given below are the names of the recipients for each of the Padma Awards categories:
- PADMA SHRI:
This year’s Padma Shri awardees include Scientist Toymaker Arvind Gupta, Healer Lakshmikutty, Gond Artist Bhajju Shyam, 98-year-old social worker Sudhanshu Biswas and 'Father of Palliative Care in India' MR Rajagopal along with activists Rani and Abhay Bang, social worker Lentina Ao Thakkar, wildlife conservationist Romulus Whitaker, Sampat Ramteke, Sanduk Ruit, Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar, plastic road maker Rajagopalan Vasudevan, Subhasini Mistry, Sulagatti Narasamma, Tamil folk art exponent Vijayalakshmi, and monk physician Yeshi Dhoden as well.
The recipients from ASEAN countries include Dr Thant Myint-U of Myanmar (Public Affairs), Jose Ma Joey Concepcion III of Philippines (Trade and Industry), Tommy Koh of Singapore (Public Affairs), SomdetPhraAriyaWongsaKhottayan of Thailand (Others), Nguyen Tien Thien of Vietnam (Others), Malai Haji Abdullah Bin MalaiHaji Othman of Brunei Darussalam (Medicine), Hun Many of Cambodia (Public Affairs), I NyomanNuarta of Indonesia (Art), BounlapKeokangna of Laos (Art) and DatukRamli Bin Ibraham of Malaysia (Art).
- PADMA BHUSHAN:
Cricketer and former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni recieved the Padma Bhushan along with billiards player Pankaj Advani, Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Alexander Kadakia, Ramachandram Nagaswamy, Laxman Pai,Ved Prakash Nanda, Arvind Parikh, and Sharda Sinha.
- PADMA VIBHUSHAN:
Senior RSS ideologue P Parameswaran was conferred the Padma Vibhushan as well as music composer Illaiyaraja and Ghulam Mustafa Khan .
