President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday conferred 65 Padma Awards at the second Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with cricketer Rohit Sharma, singer Alka Yagnik, veteran women’s hockey goalkeeper Savita Punia, tennis legend Vijay Amritraj and actor Mammootty among the prominent recipients.
The ceremony was attended by Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other dignitaries. The awards presented included two Padma Vibhushan, seven Padma Bhushan and 56 Padma Shri honours. Former Union Minister and JMM founder Shibu Soren was awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously, while P. Narayanan and Justice (Retd.) K.T. Thomas received the Padma Vibhushan.
Among the notable recipients, Rohit Sharma was conferred the Padma Shri, while Vijay Amritraj and Alka Yagnik received the Padma Bhushan. Actor R. Madhavan was also honoured with the Padma Shri. Accepting the award, Amritraj described the recognition as a matter of immense pride and said receiving the Padma Bhushan at this stage of his career was especially meaningful.
The list of awardees also featured international recipients, including US-based oncologist Dattatreyudu Nori, who received the Padma Bhushan for Medicine. Russia’s Liudmila Khokhlova was awarded the Padma Shri in Literature and Education, while Georgia’s Vladimer Mestvirishvili received a posthumous Padma Shri for Sports.
Instituted as one of India’s highest civilian honours, the Padma Awards are presented annually in three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri — for distinguished contributions across fields including art, literature, education, medicine, science, public affairs, sports and civil service. The awards are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day.
IANS
