Padma Awards: On the eve of Republic Day, it is revealed that a total of 106 Padma awards have received the president’s approval in India. The list includes 91 Padma Shri awards, 9 Padma Bhushan awards, and 6 Padma Vibhushan honours. 7  people on the list were given posthumous awards, and 19 of the award recipients are female.

Mulayam Singh, The founder of the Samajwadi Party and three-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Yadav was a prominent socialist who passed away last year, Balkrishna Doshi an architect, and Dilip Mahalanabis, a doctor from West Bengal who while working at a refugee camp during the 1971 Bangladesh War popularised the use of oral rehydration solution, will get the Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second-highest civilian honour.

Zakir Hussain, a master of the tabla, and S.M. Krishna, a seasoned politician who left the Congress in 2017 to join the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, were among those chosen for the Padma Vibhushan. Mr. Krishna (90) announced his retirement from active politics earlier this month.

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Personalities from poll-bound Tripura, Nagaland and Karnataka feature among the list of awardees

Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and Sudha Murty, chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, were honoured with the Padma Bhushan. Eight people from poll-bound Karnataka have been chosen for this year’s awards, including Mr. Krishna and Kannada novelist S.L. Bhyrappa.

The 90-year-old Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna, who has served in various positions including that of External Affairs Minister, Maharashtra Governor and Chief Minister of Karnataka, is credited with building Brand Bengaluru. Mr. Bhyrappa, one of the most celebrated and prolific novelists in Kannada, has been translated into nearly every Indian language, besides English.

Ramkuiwangbe Newme (75), a Naga social worker from Dima Hasao in Assam, who dedicated his life to the conservation and preservation of the Heraka religion, won the Padma Shri.

Composer M.M. Keeravani, who recently won the Golden Globe, has also been recognised with the Padma Shri.

Ratan Chandra Kar (66), a retired government doctor from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands who has worked with the Jarawa tribes, was conferred with a Padma Shri. Mr. Kar treated the Jarawas during the measles epidemic of 1999 and brought them back from the verge of extinction, contributing to their increase in population from 76 to 270.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Congratulations to those who have been conferred the Padma Awards. India cherishes their rich and varied contributions to the nation and their efforts to enhance our growth trajectory.”

Padma awards, one of the highest civilian awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The awards are given in various disciplines or fields of activities — art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.