132 Padma Awards this year; Venkaiah Naidu, late Bindeshwar Pathak, among 5 Padma Vibhushan recipients

NEW DELHI: Former Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, along with four other recipients, including the late social worker and founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak, was honoured with the country’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, on the eve of Republic Day.

Popular Indian actress Vyjayantimala Bali; actor, film producer, and former politician Konidela Chiranjeevi; and classical Bharata Natyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam have also been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan on Thursday.

Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty, Indian pop and playback singer Usha Uthup, former Supreme Court justice M Fathima Beevi (posthumous), and consultant in the department of cardiology, Ashwin Balachand Mehta, are among the 17 recipients who were given the third-highest honour — the Padma Bhushan.

Khalil Ahamad, Badrappan M, Kaluram Bamaniya, Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, Naseem Bano, and Ramlal Bareth are among the 110 recipients who have been awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest honour. The list also includes several unsung heroes who have made a remarkable impact on society.

There are 132 names on the list of Padma Awardees this year, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one). The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri Awards. Thirty of the awardees are women, and the list also includes eight persons from the categories of foreign non-resident Indian (NRI), person of Indian origin (PIO), overseas citizenship of India (OCI), and nine posthumous awardees.

Parbati Baruah, a native of Assam and India’s first female elephant mahout, who overcame stereotypes to create a space for herself in a traditionally male-dominated field was awarded Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Animal Welfare). She stood out for her commitment towards mitigating human-elephant conflict with the help of the application of scientific practices – assisted 3 state governments to tackle and capture wild elephants.

Jageshwar Yadav, a Tribal Welfare Worker from Jashpur, Chhattisgarh who dedicated his life to the upliftment of marginalized Birhor Pahadi Korwa people, has been awarded Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Tribal PVTG).

Chami Murmu, a tribal environmentalist and women’s empowerment champion from Seraikela Kharsawan, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Environment afforestation). She spearheaded afforestation efforts planting over 30 lakh plants with 3,000 women.

Gurvinder Singh, a Divyang social worker from Sirsa, worked for the betterment of the homeless, destitute, women, and orphans and Divyangjan has also been awarded Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Divyang).

Sathyanarayana Beleri, a paddy farmer from Kasaragod who emerged as a custodian of the paddy crop by preserving over 650 traditional rice varieties, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Others (Agriculture Cereal Rice).

Dukhu Majhi, a tribal environmentalist from Sindri village, Purulia planted over 5,000 Banyan, Mango and Blackberry trees on barren land while travelling to new destinations on his bicycle every day, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Environment Afforestation).

K Chellammal, an organic Farmer from South Andaman who successfully developed a 10-acre organic farm, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Others (Agriculture Organic).

Sangthankima a social worker from Aizawl who has been running Mizoram’s largest orphanage ‘Thutak Nunpuitu Team’, to receive Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Children).

Hemchand Manjhi, a traditional medicinal practitioner from Narayanpur providing affordable healthcare to villagers for over 5 decades, having started serving the needy at the age of 15, to receive Padma Shri in the field of Medicine (AYUSH Traditional Medicine).

Yanung Jamoh Lego, East Siang-based herbal medicine expert who has provided medical care to over 10,000 patients, educated 1 lakh individuals on medicinal herbs and trained SHGs in their use, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Others (Agriculture Medicinal Plants).

Somanna, a tribal welfare worker from Mysuru working tirelessly for the upliftment of the Jenu Kuruba tribe for over 4 decades, has been conferred Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Tribal PVTG).

Prema Dhanraj, a plastic reconstructive surgeon social worker dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of burn victims her legacy extends beyond surgery, championing burn prevention awareness and policy reform, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Medicine (Indigenous Burns).

Sarbeswar Basumatary, a tribal darmer from Assam’s Chirang successfully adopted a mixed integrated farming approach and cultivated varieties of crops like coconuts, oranges, paddy, litchis and maize from Assam.

Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, International Mallakhamb Coach, who worked relentlessly in reviving, revitalizing and popularizing the sport at the global level, has been awarded Padma Shri in the field of Sports (Coach – Mallakhamb).

Among the other honorees were Yazdi Maneksha Italia (Gujarat)- Medicine (Indigenous–Sickle Cell), Shanti Devi Paswan and Shivan Paswan (Bihar) in the field of Art (Painting–Folk–Madhubani), Ratan Kahar (West Bengal) in the Art (Vocals-Folk–Bhadu), Ashok Kumar Biswas (Bihar) in the field of Art (Painting–Folk– Tikuli), Balakrishnan Sadanam Puthiya Veetil (Kerala) in Art (Dance–Classical–Kathakali), Uma Maheshwari D (Andhra Pradesh) in Art (Storytelling–Harikatha), Gopinath Swain (Odisha) in the Art (Vocals–Bhajan–Odia), Smriti Rekha Chakma (Tripura) in Art (Textile–Weaving–Loinloom) in Art (Theatre–Folk– Mach), Omprakash Sharma (Madhya Pradesh), Narayanan E P (Kerala) in Art (Dance–Folk–Theyyam), Bhagabat Padhan (Odisha) in Art (Dance–Folk–Sabda Nrutya), Sanatan Rudra Pal (West Bengal) in Art (Sculpture), Badrappan M (Tamil Nadu) in Art (Dance–Folk–Kummi), Jordan Lepcha (Sikkim) Art (Craft–Bamboo) in Art (Craft–Pottery–Black), Machihan Sasa (Manipur), Gaddam Sammaiah (Telangana) in Art (Dance–Yakshagana), Jankilal (Rajasthan) in Art (Theatre–Folk–Rajasthani), Dasari Kondappa (Telangana) in Art (Music–Instrument–String–Burra Veena), Babu Ram Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) in Art (Craft–Brass), Nepal Chandra Sutradhar (West Bengal) Art (Craft–Mask Making–Chau) have also been awarded Padma Shri. (ANI)

The Padma Awards, which were instituted in 1954, are one of the highest civilian honours of India and are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order), and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.

The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year. The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and four to six eminent persons as members. The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval.

Last year, the government announced 106 Padma Awards, including three duo cases. The list then comprised six Padma Vibhushans, nine Padma Bhushans, and 91 Padma Shri Awards. 19 of the awardees were women, and the list also included two persons from the category of foreigners: NRI, PIO, OCI, and seven posthumous awardees. (ANI)