Padma Awards 2022:Late Kalyan Singh, Classical Music Maestro Prabha Atre Honoured

President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday conferred Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards 2022 at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Among the prominent awardees were Padma Vibhushan recipients – Hindustani classical music maven Dr Prabha Atre and former CM of Uttar Pradesh and BJP stalwart Kalyan Singh (in the posthumous category). President Kovind handed over the award to Kalyan Singh’s son Rajveer Singh.

Actor Victor Banerjee, Odia writer Dr Pratibha Ray, renowned scholar Acharya Vashishtha Tripathi, and Dr Krishna Ella and wife Suchitra Ella, founders of Bharat Biotech that manufactured Covaxin were among the Padma Bhushan recipients. The announcement for this year’s Padma awards was made by the Union Home Ministry in January this year.

Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra and singer Sonu Nigam were among the Padma Shri recipients.

At the Civil Investiture Ceremony – I held on March 21, the President had conferred two Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and 54 Padma Shri awards. Among the awardees were Padma Vibhushan recipients — former president of Gita Press Radhey Shyam, and late CDS General Bipin Rawat (both in the posthumous category). Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, chairman of Tata Sons N. Chandrasekharan, Paralympic javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, musician Rashid Khan, former Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, chairman of Serum Institute of India Cyrus Poonawalla, among others, had received the Padma Bhushan awards.

Padma awards are one of the highest civilian recognition in the country. The awards are given in several disciplines such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service, among others. In this year’s Padma list, there are 128 awards, comprising four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri recipients. As many as 34 recipients are women and 13 posthumous awardees.

‘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, according to a government release.