President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday conferred Padma Vibhushan to actors Vyjayanthimala Bali and Konidela Chiranjeevi during a Padma Awards 2024 ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Besides, President Murmu also conferred first woman judge of Supreme Court late M Fathima Beevi, Bombay Samachar owner Hormusji N Cama with Padma Bhushan.
On the occasion several dignitaries including Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar were present.
Also, "Bombay Samachar" owner Hormusji N Cama was also conferred with Padma award.
BJP leader O Rajagopal, Ladakh's spiritual leader Togdan Rinpochey, Tamil actor late "Captain" Vijayakant (both posthumous) and Kundan Vyas, group editor and CEO of Gujarati newspaper "Janmabhoomi", were also conferred Padma awards.
While 90-year-old Bali and 68-year-old Chiranjeevi were given Padma Vibhushan, Beevi, Cama, Rajagopal, Vijayakant, Rinpochey and Vyas were conferred Padma Bhushan.
Among those who were given Padma Bhushan included eminent cardiologist Ashwin Balachand Mehta and former Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader late Satyabrata Mookherjee.
The Padma Shri awardees included unsung heroes like India's first woman elephant mahout Parbati Baruah, who is known as "Hasti Kanya", sculptor from Telangana Velu Anandachari, eminent weaver from Tripura Smriti Rekha Chakma, K Chellammal from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who pioneered in organic coconut plantation, and squash player Joshna Chinappa.
The Padma Awards are the highest civilian honours in India. These awards are categorised into three categories including Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
Established in 1954, the Padma Awards initially comprised two distinctions, namely Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan Later, they were renamed as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Sri. These honours aim to commend persons who have made exemplary contributions to society.
Selection Of Padma Awards
The selection process for the Padma Awards is meticulous, overseen by the Padma Awards Committee, constituted annually by the Prime Minister. It also comprises of Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and other distinguished personalities. The committee reviews the nominations before submitting recommendations to the Prime Minister and the President for final approval.
