Padma Awards 2024: President Murmu honours dignitaries
On Thursday, President Draupadi Murmu bestowed 56 Padma Shri, 9 Padma Bhusan, and 2 Padma Vibhushan on several dignitaries from various fields during the second civil investiture ceremony of the Padma Awards 2024 held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
One of the highest civilian honours in India, the Padma Awards are granted in three categories: Padma Shri, Padma Bhusan, and Padma Vibhushan, across diverse fields like art, public affairs, trade and industry, science and engineering, literature and education, medicine, sports, civil service, and social work.
Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award in India, given for exceptional and distinguished service in any field, including service rendered by government servants. Whereas Padma Bhusan is the third-highest civilian award in India, awarded for distinguished service of a high order in any field.
The fourth highest civilian award in India, known as the Padma Shri, is given for significant contributions to the nation in various fields such as art, literature, education, sports, medicine, and social work.
The ceremony was attended by many prominent dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, and several other Union Ministers.
In January 2024, the President of India, Draupadi Murmu, approved the conferment of 132 Padma Awards during the Republic Day Ceremony held at Red Fort, New Delhi. While the majority of the recipients were awarded during the first civil investiture ceremony of the Padma Awards 2024 held on April 22, the remaining awardees were honoured on Thursday.
The list included 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhusan, and 110 Padma Shri awards. Padma Bhusan was also awarded to eminent cardiologist Ashwin Balachand Mehta and BJP leader Satyabrata Mookherjee (late).
President Murmu conferred Padma Vibhushan Awards to Dr. Vyjayantimala Bali and Telegu Actor Konidela Chiranjeevi, while Padma Bhusan was awarded to the first woman judge of the Supreme Court, M. Fathima Beevi, “Bombay Samachar” owner Hormusji N Cama, CEO of Gujrati Newspaper “Janmabhoomi” Kundan Ramanlal Vyas, BJP leader O. Rajagopal, and Ladakh’s spiritual leader Togdan Rinpochey, among others.
President Murmu honours 56 awardees with Padma Shri
President Murmu bestowed 56 Padma Shri Awards to several dignitaries from various fields on Thursday, including India’s first woman elephant mahout (a person who works with, rides, and tends an elephant), Parbati Baruah, popularly known as “Hasti Kanya,” in acknowledgement of her outstanding work in the fields of social work, elephant conservation, and wildlife management.
Other awardees included a social worker from Mizoram, Sangthankima, who is the founder of Thutak Nunpuitu Team (TNT), which runs the largest orphanage in Mizoram; a renowned weaver from Tripura, Smriti Rekha Chakma; an Odia folk dancer, Bhagwat Pradhan; an organic farmer from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, K. Chellammal; and several others.
Padma Shri awardee Joden Lepcha, who is a famous bamboo craftsman from Sikkim, received his award from the President dressed in traditional attire and a colourful bamboo hat.
The ceremony witnessed a loud round of applause when K. S. Rajanna, a “divyang” (differently abled person) from Karnataka known for his social work for differently abled persons, came to receive his Padma Shri Award from President Draupadi Murmu. Rajanna lost his arms and legs to polio during his childhood. Despite his clear disability, Rajanna strived hard for the betterment of other differently-able individuals in the society.
Among the total 132 awardees selected for this year’s Padma Shri Awards, 30 were women. The list also included 8 persons from the category of foreigners/NRI/OCI/PIO: Kiran Vyas (France), Ravi Prakash Singh (Mexico), Fred Negrit (France), Sasindran Muthuvel (Papua New Guinea), Pierre Sylvian Filliozat (France), Charlotte Chopin (France), Young Liu (Taiwan), and Rezwana Choudhury Bannya (Bangladesh).
Many Padma Shri awardees shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the ceremony.
