Adman Piyush Pandey, who had coined the “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar” slogan, actor Dharmendra, JMM founder Shibu Soren and former Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan were among the 131 recipients of the Padma awards announced on the eve of the 77th Republic Day.
Dharmendra and Achuthanandan were posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan while Soren and Pandey were posthumously conferred the Padma Bhushan.
Other prominent Padma Bhushan recipients include singer Alka Yagnik, former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Malayalam superstar Mammootty, banker Uday Kotak and tennis great Vijay Amritraj.
In an early morning political “coup” in 2019, then Maharashtra governor Koshyari revoked President’s rule to facilitate the sudden oath-taking ceremony of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar as his deputy at the Raj Bhavan.
World Cup-winning captains Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur, and former UGC chairman and JNU vice-chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar received the Padmi Shri.
Jagadesh Kumar’s tenure as the JNU VC was marked by constant protests amid accusations by a large chunk of teachers and students that he was implementing the RSS agenda.
The Padma awards are presented every year to recognise work of distinction and exceptional achievements in different fields. This year’s list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. Nineteen of the Padma awardees are women. The list also includes six persons from the foreigners/ NRI/ PIO/ OCI categories and 16 posthumous awardees.
Ashoka Chakra
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force, who became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station, has been conferred with the Ashoka Chakra, the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award.
President Droupadi Murmu also approved gallantry awards for 70 armed forces personnel, including six who would receive the honours posthumously. These include one Ashoka Chakra, three Kirti Chakras, 13 Shaurya Chakras, one Bar to Sena Medal (gallantry) and 44 Sena Medals (gallantry).
