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January 29, 2009
India's civilian honours -- the Padma Shris, the Padma Bhushans... -- have courted controversy once again. From missing deserving candidates to fake awardees, the national honours list appear to have lost their sheen. A glance at how names for the awards are short-listed: Thousands of recommendation from state governments, Union Territory administrations, central ministries, individuals, organisations, even self-recommendations, are placed before the Awards Committee for consideration.The recommendations of the Awards Committee, which comprises eminent personalities from different fields, are submitted to the home minister and then to the President's office for approval.After the President's office approves the lists, it travels to the prime minister's office for final scrutiny before they are announced on the eve of Republic Day.Does the fact that Olympic [Images] medallists Sushil Kumar [Images] and Vijender [Images] Kumar were overlooked raise questions about the fairness of the selection process? Do Bollywood stars like Akshay Kumar [Images] and Aishwarya Rai [Images] deserve Padma Shris, considering the foremost criterion for the award is public service? Have the awards become irrelevant? Tell us!
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