Former Sports Minister M S Gill has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting him to honour iconic centenarian marathon runner Fauja Singh with a Padma Award.
The veteran writer said his decision to return the award was not motivated by any personal insult but because of insult to the national language Hindi.
This year's Padma awards took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on Monday. Mohanlal Viswanathan, Prabhu Deva and Shankar Mahadevan have been conferred with honours. Take a look.
The names of Oscar winner Resul Pookutty and eminent Ayurvedic physician P K Warrier, selected for Padma Shri award, had not been recommended to the centre by the Kerala government, according to the state information commission.
Late cartoonist Mario Miranda, actors Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi, top mathematician M S Raghunathan, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal and industry leader B Muthuraman were among those conferred the Padma awards by President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Mary Kom won the Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Padma Shri in 2006.
'Dharamji would have been very happy. He felt he never got recognition for his performances.'
Keeping its promise of honouring 'unsung heroes', the government this year honoured with Padma awards several personalities who served the poor, set up free schools and popularised tribal arts globally.
Superstar Rajinikanth, tennis icon Sania Mirza and actress Priyanka Chopra were among the 56 eminent persons who were honoured with Padma awards on Tuesday.
'I know nothing about this award. No one has told me anything about it. If they have decided to offer Padma Bhushan to me, I refuse to accept it,' he said in a statement.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was at the centre of a fresh controversy over reports suggesting that she had recommended former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi for a Padma award in 2007.
The actors were awarded at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Darbar Hall on April 5.
A distinguished jurist and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, 75-year-old Venkatachaliah was presented the prestigious Padma Vibhushan by President Kalam.
The awardees included one Padma Vibhushan, 11 Padma Bhushan and 44 Padma Shri.
Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat raised questions about the manner in which Padma awards are given to sportspersons, terming the process as an 'unfair one' after facing the snub for the third time. The current World Championship bronze medallist and one of India's biggest medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics, Vinesh hit out at the government accusing them of leaving out 'deserving' candidates.
Information about the Padma Awards should not be shared with the media, the Home Ministry told a Right To Information applicant though there is no such provision in the transparency law.
President Pratibha Patil has approved the conferment of Padma Awards 2012. This year the president has approved 109 awards including one duo case (counted as one) and 14 in the category of foreigners/non-resident Indians/ Persons of India Origin/ posthumous. These comprise five Padma Vibhushan, 27 Padma Bhushan and 77 Padma Shri Awards. There are 19 ladies among the awardees.
The government defended the decision to confer a Padma award to former militant Ghulam Mohammed Mir saying he has extended a "yoeman's service" to the national cause. "From the records available with us, Ghulam Mohammed Mir has performed a yeoman service for the national cause. Besides, we have glowing testimonials from eminent personalities like Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, Union Minister and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah.
Harmanpreet Kaur shared an emotional note after receiving the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, calling it a 'very big moment' in her life.
In a bid to give increased recognition to their achievements, the medallists from the Rio Paralympics will be recommended for the Padma awards this year by the Sports Ministry.
A Padma award, after all, adds greatly to a businessman's prestige. Walk into the office of anybody who's got it and you won't miss his picture with the President.
The Odisha government has rejected the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons. The Supreme Court has granted Singh's counsel two weeks to challenge this decision. Singh, 63, has been in jail for over 25 years and sought premature release, claiming repentance for his actions.
Eminent scientist R A Mashelkar was on Monday conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, while acclaimed artiste Kamal Haasan and ace shuttler P Gopichand were among the 12 personalities conferred the Padma Bhushan by President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi.
Veteran social activist Anna Hazare has been admitted to Bombay Hospital in Mumbai after blood reports indicated a renal infection. The 89-year-old anti-graft crusader was transferred from his native Ralegan Siddhi village for further assessment.
Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir, actor Manoj Bajpayee, mountaineer Bachendri Pal, ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan and Odisha tea seller D Prakash Rao were among the recipients of the honour.
I think it is best to abolish the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan -- they dilute the value of the Padma Shri, says RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal in an interview to Indulekha Aravind
Baldev Singh, a hockey coach who transformed Shahabad Markanda into a hub for hockey talent, will be awarded the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu on May 25.
India announces Padma Shri awards for 45 individuals, recognizing 'unsung heroes' like a former bus conductor who created the world's largest free library and a pediatrician who established Asia's first human milk bank.
To make the process of conferring Padma awards more transparent, the home ministry has issued a revised proforma for people who wish to apply for the prestigious civilian honours.
Indian physicist Deepak Dhar, a professor at ICTS-TIFR in Bengaluru, has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Dirac Medal for his significant contributions to statistical mechanics. He shares the honour with three other physicists for their work on understanding complex systems, with applications in diverse fields like biology, finance, and AI. Dhar is particularly recognised for his "sandpile model" and has previously received the Padma Bhushan and Boltzmann Medal.
Dr Raja Chelliah, who has been given a Padma Vibhushan is another old friend of Manmohan Singh. He was Singh's single most important adviser on tax reform when he became finance minister in 1991.
From Kottayam Kunjachan to Unda, here are 10 Mammootty films that prove the megastar can be every bit as entertaining as he is intense.
Legendary South Indian actress Sowcar Janaki, a Padma Shri awardee with a career spanning nearly seven decades and over 400 films, has passed away at 94, leaving an indelible mark on Indian cinema.
'She was always thinking of how to improve the scene and how to do better in each shot. Even at that age her passion and commitment was so inspiring.'
The Supreme Court has expressed strong displeasure with the Odisha government for delaying a decision on the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons. The court has directed the state to make a decision by September 17, warning of summoning officials if the delay persists. Singh, incarcerated for over 26 years, seeks premature release based on his time served and a 2022 state policy.
Had it been know that Jinnah suffered from tuberculosis and did not have much time to live, there is a possibility Partition could have been averted.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented five Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and forty-three Padma Shri awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
New York businessman Sant Singh Chatwal received his Padma award from President Pratibha Patil at a colourful ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Chatwal's name was read out after 19 distinguished figures had been conferred the Padma awards.
President of India Pratibha Patil will be conferring the Padma Awards to the selected recipients on March 31 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan -- a senior official from the president's office confirmed this.
We celebrate Mammootty's 75th birthday by revisiting blockbusters that shaped his superstar image without compromising his brilliance as an actor.
