NEW DELHI: Even the Padma awards on Sunday mirrored the newfound Indo-US bonhomie. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and co-founder of their foundation Melinda Gates are to receive the Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order, it was announced.
The highest award in the category of Padma awards — Padma Vibhushan — went to BJP stalwart L K Advani, who will be sharing the same with actor Amitabh Bachchan, matinee idol Dilip Kumar and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
The rest of the list of Padma awards reflects the names that were in circulation for the last few weeks.
President Pranab Mukherjee approved the conferment of the Padma awards to 104 people — nine Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri awards. As many as 17 awardees are women and the list also includes 17 people from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and four posthumous awardees.
It also includes six persons from the North-East. Bengali film personality and cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma, best known as the creator of Chacha Chaudhary, has been posthumously selected for Padma Shri. Badminton star Saina Nehwal and boxer Vijendra Singh, who had sought the awards, have been ignored, while rising star P V Sindhu has been conferred the Padma Shri.
Senior lawyer K K Venugopal, Dr Veerendra Heggade and Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya have been chosen for Padma Vibhushan.
Former CEC N Gopalaswami, constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap, advocate Harish Salve, journalist Rajat Sharma and mathematician Manjul Bhargava have been selected for the Padma Bhushan. (For full list, go to www.newindianexpress.com)