Venkaiah Naidu, Mithun Chakraborty, Usha Uthup and Ram Naik Among Others Conferred With Padma Awards

New Delhi: Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, Bindeshwar Pathak (Posthumous) and Padma Subrahmanyam were among the recipients of the Padma awards that were conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital on Monday. While former VP Naidu was awarded Padma Vibhushan in the field of Public Affairs, Bindeshwar Pathak was recognised posthumously for his contribution in the field of Social Work. Bindeshwar's wife Amola Pathak received the honour on behalf of her late husband, news agency ANI reported. 

Acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer, research scholar and music composer Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, particularly celebrated for her works on ‘Natyashastras’, was conferred the Padma Vibhushan for her contribution in the field of Arts.

Additionally, actor Mithun Chakraborty, who is known for his dynamic performances and powerful portrayals in Bengali and Hindi cinema, was awarded Padma Bhushan in the field of Arts.

Veteran industrialist and philanthropist Dr. Sitaram Jindal, who is known for promoting naturopathy through Jindal Nature Cure Institute in Bengaluru, also received the Padma Bhushan from President Murmu.

Former Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Governor of Uttar Pradesh Ram Naik was also among the recipients who were honoured with the prestigious award.

Prof. Tejas Madhusudan Patel, a renowned cardiologist who is known for his pioneering work in Interventional Cardiology, was also conferred the Padma Bhushan by the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were among others present at the ceremony.

Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honours of the country, are conferred in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. 

The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, the Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order and the Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.

The awards – announced on the eve of Republic Day every year – are given in various disciplines or fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

For 2024, the President had approved conferment of 132 Padma awards, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one).

The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 110 Padma Shri awards.

As many as 30 out of the total awardees are women and the list also includes eight people from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and nine posthumous awardees.