Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan Prize this year
Highlight
- Tarun Gogoi, Ram Vilas Paswan among the recipients of Padma Bhushan
- 119 people were honored with the Padma Awards this year
- 102 people received Padma Shri, 7 Padma Vibhushan awarded this year
New Delhi:
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and music legend SP Balasubrahmanyam have been honored with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award, the government announced today. The celebrated singer SP Balasubrahmanyam received the honor posthumously. He died in a Chennai hospital last year after nearly two months of treatment.
Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan have also received the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award posthumously. Sumitra Mahajan, a former spokesperson for Lok Sabha, also received the Padma Bhushan.
Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag thanked the government for the award and tweeted in Hindi that the honor was bestowed on the “impeccable political career of his 51-year-old father.”
Veteran playback singer KS Chithra has also been honored with the Padma Bhushan.
The Padma Awards were announced tonight by the government in honor of 119 prominent personalities from various fields such as sports, medicine, art, literature and others for their distinguished work. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
102 people have been honored with the Padma Shri this year, which includes renowned musician Bombay Jayashri and six athletes.
Veteran table tennis player Mouma Das was among the six athletes awarded the Padma Shri.
In addition to Ms. Das, P Anitha, Madhavan Nambiar, Sudha Hari Narayan Singh, Virender Singh and KY Venkatesh have also received the prestigious award for their sporting achievements.
Odisha Sudarshan sculptor Sahoo, Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, and archaeologist BB Lal are also among the Padma Vibhushan recipients.
BJP President JP Nadda said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that “heroes from various walks of life are honored.”
“We are proud of his magnanimous contribution to society,” he said.
The Padma Vibhushan was awarded to 7 awardees and the Padma Bhushan to 10 this year. 29 women and a transgender are among those awarded with Padma. Sixteen people have received the award posthumously.
Each year, the winners are announced on the eve of Republic Day. Padma laureates are congratulated by the President of India.
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