President confers Padma awards to the recipients

Tags: National

President of India Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma Awards 2022  to the receipts at a ceremony held at the Ashoka Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan on 28 March 2022. The award ceremony was attended by the Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Ministers.

A total of 4 Padma Vibhushans, 17 Padma Bhushans and 107 Padma Shri awards was announced by the Government of India on 25 January 2022. However the President presented the award to two Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan and fifty-four Padma Shri Award winners in this ceremony.

Padma Awards 

• After Bharat Ratna ,Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day.   
• The Padma Awards was started in 1954 by the Government of India. 
• It has been given every year except in the years 1978 and 1979 and 1993 to 1997.
• The Awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service).

Committee to decide Padma Awards 

• The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
• The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes Home Secretary, Secretary to the President and four to six eminent persons as members. 
• The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval.

Features of Padma Awards 

• The award is normally not conferred posthumously. However, in highly deserving cases, the Government could consider giving an award posthumously.
• The awards are presented by the President of India usually in the month of March/April every year where the awardees are presented a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion.
• The recipients are also given a small replica of the medallion, which they can wear during any ceremonial/State functions etc., if the awardees so desire. The names of the awardees are published in the Gazette of India on the day of the presentation ceremony.
• The total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to (Non Resident Indians) NRI / foreigners / OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) should not be more than 120.
• The award does not amount to a title and cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardees’ name

For a detailed list of the Padma awardees 2022 see the 26 January 2022 post