Padma Awards, other honors, announced: Check list of awardees here
On the eve of India's 72nd Republic Day on Monday, the Union Home Ministry announced a list of honors to police officers, defense personnel, among others. The honors include the Padma awards, gallantry awards, President's police medals, correctional services awards, etc. Notably, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award. Here are more details.
Abe, SP Balasubramaniam among seven Padma Vibhushan awardees
Apart from Abe, sand artist Sudarshan Sahoo, archaeologist BB Lal, cardiologist and former Manipal University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Belle Monappa Hegde, and Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan were also awarded Padma Vibhushan. Singer SP Balasubramaniam and physicist Narinder Singh Kapany were awarded the honor posthumously. Balasubramaniam had passed away in September 2020, while Kapany died last December.
Ram Vilas Paswan among 10 Padma Bhushan awardees
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Nripendra Misra, former MP Tarlochan Singh, poet Chandrashekhar Kambara, and businessman Rajnikant Devidas Shroff were awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award. Former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi, former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel, and religious leader Kalbe Sadiq were awarded the honor posthumously.
Paswan had died in October last year
While Paswan had died of an unknown illness in October last year, Gogoi had died of COVID-19 complications last November. Patel had also died in October after recovering from COVID-19. Sadiq, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, died in November 2020.
102 people received Padma Shri honors
Meanwhile, the Padma Shri—India's fourth-highest civilian award—was conferred to 102 people. The awardees include wrestler Virender Singh, former Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, British film director Peter Brook, Spanish-Indian Jesuit priest Father Vallés, Jammu and Kashmir Professor Chaman Lal Sapru, basketball player P Anitha, Bhil artist Bhuri Bai, Konoklota Mahila Urban Cooperative Bank founder Lakhimi Baruah, among others.
Here's the full list of Padma Shri awardees
16 out of 119 received Padma Awards posthumously
The Padma Awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions, commonly held in March or April at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The awards are announced on Republic Day eve (January 25) every year. Unlike the gallantry awards, Padma Awards are not commonly awarded posthumously, unless in highly deserving cases. 16 out of 119 awardees this year were conferred the honors posthumously.
Recipients brought qualitative changes in others' lives: Modi
PM Narendra Modi tweeted, "We are proud of all those who have been conferred the Padma Awards. India cherishes their contribution to the nation and humanity at large. These exceptional individuals from different walks of life have brought qualitative changes in the lives of others."
Galwan martyr Colonel Santosh Babu conferred Mahavir Chakra
Earlier in the day, Colonel Santosh Babu, who was martyred in the Galwan Valley Indo-China clash in June last year, was awarded the Mahavir Chakra, the second-highest military award. Nb Sub Nuduram Soren, Havildar K Palani, Havildar Tejinder Singh, Nk Deepak Singh, Sepoy Gurtej Singh, who had also been martyred in the clash, were among the 18 people conferred Chakra series wartime gallantry medals.
