Ashish Ranjan
Padma Awards 2023: President Droupadi Murmu presented Padma awards 2023 to former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna, renowned industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, and renowned playback vocalist Suman Kalyanpur at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.
The Padma Shri was awarded posthumously to the billionaire stock market investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, who died last year. Rekha Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, his wife, received the award.
The Padma Vibhushan was awarded to Krishna, a former external affairs minister “known for his statesmanlike vision and administrative acumen during a career spanning more than six decades.”He served as minister of foreign affairs in the Congress-led UPA government but later joined the BJP.
Posthumously, renowned architect Balkrishna Doshi was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second highest civilian honour. Numerous iconic structures were designed by Doshi, who is renowned for his minimalistic, eco-friendly approach to architecture.
The Padma Bhushan was conferred to Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. Rashtrapati Bhavan stated in a second tweet that one of the earliest Indian entities to venture abroad has established a significant global presence.
Professor Kapil Kapoor of Delhi, spiritual leader Kamlesh D. Patel, and Kalyanpur were awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour.It was stated that Kapoor, a former English professor at JNU, is known for his efforts to indigenize higher education by integrating Indian knowledge systems and establishing specialised institutes.
Patel is the founder of the Heartfulness Movement and has created Kanha Shanti Vanam, one of the largest meditation centres in the world.Rashtrapati Bhavan stated in another tweet that Kalyanpur, a renowned Indian playback vocalist, contributed her voice to countless hit songs in Hindi, Marathi, and 11 other languages over the course of her four-decade career.
Since 2014, when it came to power for the first time, the Narendra Modi administration has awarded Padma medals to a number of unheralded heroes who have contributed in various ways to society.
The Padma Shri was awarded to Jodhaiya Bai Baiga, a renowned Baiga painter, Usha Barle, a performer of Pandwani and Panthi art forms from Chhattisgarh, and Raman Cheruvayal, a tribal farmer from Kerala renowned for his contributions to sustainable agriculture and conservation of biodiversity.
Bhanubhai Chunilal Chitara, who has helped preserve and promote the traditional Gujarati Mata Ni Pachedi craft, and Sankurathri Chandrasekhar, a managing trustee of the Sankurathri Foundation (which has educated a large number of rural students, provided eye-care to over 37 lakh people, and performed 3 lakh surgeries), were also awarded the Padma Shri.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Home Minister Amit Shah, and several other Union ministers attended the ceremony.On the eve of this year’s Republic Day, the president approved the conferral of 106 Padma awards, including three duo cases (in duo cases, the award is tallied as one).
On Wednesday, over fifty individuals were awarded the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. The remainder of the recipients would be honoured at a subsequent ceremony.There are three categories of Padma awards: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. The Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, has not been bestowed to anyone since 2019.
The awards are presented in a variety of disciplines and fields of endeavor, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, commerce and industry, medicine, literature and education, athletics, and public service, among others.
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Padma Vibhushan is given for exceptionally distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of the highest order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any discipline.
