The GOVERNMENT on Tuesday introduced the Padma Awards forward of Republic Day 2022 and, in a bid to achieve throughout the political divide, picked Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI(M)’sdeb Bhattacharya for the Padma Buddha Bhushan. Also on the award checklist have been the nation’s Covid vaccine makers, leaders of US tech giants Google and Microsoft, and the late General Bipin Rawat, the primary Chief of Defense Staff who, alongside along with his spouse and 12 others, was killed in a helicopter crash final month.
Azad, ex-J&Ok chief minister and former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, thanked the Government for recognizing his sacrifices though he was a “hardcore Congressman”. But Bhattacharya, in keeping with his occasion’s coverage, stated in a press release: “If I’ve been given Padma Bhushan, I refuse to just accept it,
A complete of 4 Padma Vibhushans, 17 Padma Bhushans and 107 Padma Shri awards have been conferred this 12 months.
Gen Rawat, former UP CM Kalyan Singh, Hindustani Classical vocalist Prabha Atre and Radheshyam Khemka of Gita Press have been named for the Padma Vibhushan. Apart from Rawat, Singh and Khemka have been conferred the award posthumously.
The total Padma checklist of 128 additionally contains Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Serum Institute of India’s Cyrus Poonawalla, Bharat Biotech’s Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra.
Chandrasekaran, Nadella, Pichai, the Ellas and Poonawalla have been conferred the Padma Bhushan. The Ellas are the founders of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech that, in collaboration with the ICMR, launched India’s first indigenously developed Covid vaccine. Covaxin is the one vaccine at present being administered to the adolescent inhabitants.
Poonawalla is the chairman of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, which incorporates the most important vaccine producer on this planet, Serum Institute of India (SII) — 140 crore doses of Covishield have been administered in India’s Covid vaccination drive.
Former Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who final as Comptroller and Auditor General, together with through the audit of the Rafale fighter jet deal, has additionally been served the Padma Bhushan. Earlier Tuesday, NSE International Exchange (NSE IFSC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE), appointed Mehrishi as its new chairman.
Former IAS officer Guruprasad Mohapatra, who “carried out his assigned charge of ensuring oxygen availability during Covid, even from his hospital bed” has been conferred the Padma Shri. Mohapatra died of Covid through the second wave final 12 months.
India’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics medallists have made a mark on the Padma checklist, too. Three-time Paralympics medallist Devendra Jhajharia, who was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2012, was awarded the Padma Bhushan whereas Neeraj Chopra, solely the second athlete from the nation to win an Olympic medal, was among the many eight Padma Shri recipients.
“It is not only recognition for me but for the whole para-athlete community,” Jhajharia stated. “Such awards bridge the gap between para-athletes and able-bodied athletes.”
Hockey star Vandana Kataria, whose household was topic to casteist slurs whereas she was away in Tokyo competing on the Games the place India completed fourth, was awarded the Padma Shri. Also on the checklist was former India soccer captain Brahmanand Sankhwalkar, who hails from Goa.
Among the opposite winners have been Tokyo Paralympics medallists Avani Lekhara, Sumit Antil and Pramod Bhagat, together with martial arts grasp Sankaranarayan Menon Chundayil from Kerala and martial arts coach Faisal Ali Dar from Baramulla in J&Ok.
Among artists, Hindustani classical vocalist Rashid Khan, veteran actor Victor Banerjee and Punjabi people singer Gurmeet Bawa have been conferred the Padma Bhushan. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, the creator of the favored TV serial Chankaya, Benaras gharana thumri singer Shivnath Mishra and playback singer Sonu Nigam got the Padma Shri.
Najma Akhtar, the primary girl vice chancellor of Jamia Milia Islamia, is on the Padma Shri checklist, together with historian Raghavendra Tanwar, who was not too long ago appointed as chairman of ICHR. Tanwar is well-known for his works on trendy Indian historical past, notably the liberty motion and Partition. Dr JK Bajaj of Center for Policy Studies, a assume tank related to the RSS, is among the many recipients.
The Government has additionally conferred the Padma Shri to 10 specialists within the area of drugs.
The checklist contains Dr Bhimsen Singhal, for his contribution within the therapy of a number of sclerosis and Parkinson’s illness; Dr Narendra Prasad Misra (posthumous) for therapy protocols for victims of the Bhopal fuel tragedy; Sunkara Venkata Adinarayana Rao, for his work in polio surgical procedures; Dr Veeraswamy Seshiah, for protocols and tips for being pregnant diabetes; British-Indian Prof Prokar Dasgupta, for robotic urological surgical procedures; and pediatrician Dr Lata Desai, for service to tribal communities.
Jagjit Singh Dardi, chairman of Chardikala group, was conferred Padma Shri within the media class.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
