Late CDS Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad among Padma awardees

Central government shared a list with the names of personalities who will be conferred with the Padma Awards this year. As many as 128 personalities from different fields will be honoured with the Padma Awards.

The list comprises four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. Out of 128 awardees, 34 are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees.

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who recently died in a helicopter crash, will be posthumously honoured with the Padma Vibhushan. Besides, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, who died last year, will receive Padma Vibhushan for Public Affairs. Meanwhile, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad will be honoured with Padma Bhushan for Public Affairs.

Serum Institute of India Managing Director Cyrus Poonawalla, whose company has been at the forefront of the country’s vaccination drive against Covid-19, has also been named among the Padma Bhushan awardees.

Dr Krishna Ella and wife Suchitra Ella, founders of Bharat Biotech, the Hyderabad-based company that manufactured another Covid vaccine, Covaxin, will also receive the Padma Bhushan.

The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The awards are given in several disciplines such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service, among others.