New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) Senior politicians Sharad Pawar, Murli Manohar Joshi and the late P.A. Sangma are among the seven recipients of the Padma Vibhushan award -- India's second-highest civilian honour -- announced on Wednesday.
President Pranab Mukherjee has named 89 people - the shortest list in last five years - for the country's top civilian awards, including seven Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri awards, on the occasion of country's 68th Republic Day.
The awardees include 19 women and five NRIs/PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin), while six of the awards are being given posthumously.
A total of 112 citizens were conferred Padma awards in 2016 followed by 104 in 2015, 127 in 2014, 108 in 2013 and 109 people in 2012.
Besides Pawar, chief of Nationalist Congress Party, Joshi, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, and former Lok Sabha Speaker Sangma, singer K.J. Yesudas, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, scientist and former Indian space agency chief Udipi Ramachandra Rao and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, the late Sunder Lal Patwa have been named for Padma Vibhushan.
Recipients of Padma Bhushan awards include Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Art-Music), Professor Devi Prasad Dwivedi (Literature and Education), Tehemton Udwadia (Medicine), Ratna Sundar Maharaj (Spiritualism), Swami Niranjana Nanda Saraswati (Yoga), Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (Literature and Education) and late Cho Ramaswamy (Literature-Education-Journalism).
Out of 75 Padma Shri awardees, singer Kailash Kher and Anuradha Paudwal, cricketer Virat Kohli, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, wrestler Sakshi Malik, paralympic athlete Deepa Malik and well-known chef Sanjeev Kapoor are the prominent personalities who have been honoured.
Wel- known endocrinologist M. M. Godbole, film critic Bhawana Somaaya, Farsi writer K. N. Pandita and French historian Michel Danino were among others who were selected for Padma Shri awards.
The Padma Shri awards celebrate the "Unsung Hero", with a 68-year-old martial art expert Meenakshi Amma, a 44-year-old weaver Chintakindi Mallesham, Daripalli Ramaiah, 68, who have planted one crore trees to make India green, and AIDS crusader Dr Suniti Solomon.
The government had received 18,000 nominations this time out of which 4,000 were submitted online.
The Padma awards are given in various disciplines or fields of activities like art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service.
These awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day and conferred by the President at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhavan usually around March or April every year.
After Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are India's three highest civilian awards.
