New Delhi : Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty, singer Usha Uthup, tennis player Rohan Bopanna and a host of prominent personalities were conferred with Padma awards by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday.
Founder of Sulabh International, Bindeshwar Pathak, posthumously, and renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam were conferred with the Padma Vibhushan.
Former Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik and industrialist Sitaram Jindal were conferred with the Padma Bhushan.
Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honours of the country, are conferred in three categories - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
President of India Droupadi Murmu presented 3 Padma Vibhushan, 8 Padma Bhushan and 55 Padma Shri Awards for the year 2024 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held with grandeur in Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan today.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, many Ministers of the Union and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.After the investiture ceremony, Amit Shah and other Union Ministers interacted with the Padma Awardees at a dinner hosted by the Home Minister at his residence in New Delhi.
As per an official release, the Padma Awardees will pay homage to the National War Memorial tomorrow morning (April 23, 2024). They will also visit Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated the recipients for their distinguished contribution to the nation.
In a post on X, he said," Attended the Padma Awards 2024 at Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening.
Congratulate the recipients for their distinguished contribution to the nation. Applaud PM @narendramodi 's recognition of their extraordinary efforts in service of the motherland".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country is proud of all the Padma Shri recipients who have achieved success in diverse fields and brought about a positive change in the lives of people.
Taking to social media handle X, Prime Minister Modi posted, "Attended the Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the Padma Awards were conferred. India is proud of all the recipients, who have excelled in diverse fields and brought a positive change in the lives of crores of people.