President Ram Nath Kovind presented two Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and 54 Padma Shri Awards for 2022 at a civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi on Monday, March 21. The two Padma Vibhushan were presented posthumously to Gen Bipin Rawat, former CDS, and Radhey Shyam Khemka of Geeta Press, Gorakhpur.
The Padma Bhushan awards were conferred upon senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Punjabi singer Gurmeet Bawa (posthumously), Tata Sons' N Chandrashekharan while Najma Akhtar, Vice Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia was among those who were awarded Padma Shri. Former CAG Rajiv Mehrishi and Covishield's maker Serum Institute of India's Cyrus Soli Poonawalla also received the Padma Shri among others.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. Almost a similar number of other awardees would be felicitated in a similar ceremony to be held next Monday.
President Kovind presents Padma Vibhushan to General Bipin Rawat (Posthumous) for Civil Service. As the first Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, he was pivotal in ushering transformative reforms in Indian Armed Forces. pic.twitter.com/fcTi67wiZL
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 21, 2022
The awards are conferred in three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. These awards are given in various disciplines and fields such as 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 eve of Republic Day every year. The awards are conferred by the President at ceremonial functions which are held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
This year, a total of 128 Padma Awards are being conferred, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). The list of awardees comprises four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. Thirty-four awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees. The second civil investiture ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 28.
With PTI and IANS inputs