Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar, Akali Dal leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, film personalities Mohanlal and Prabhu Deva are among the 47 prominent personalities who were conferred Padma awards by President Ram Nath Kovind today.
Mr Jaishankar was awarded Padma Shri, while Malayalam actor Mohanlal and renowned journalist Kuldip Nayar (posthumous) were conferred Padma Bhushan at a special function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others.
Bihar leader Hukumdev Narayan Yadav, former CEO of multinational techno giant Cisco systems John Chambers, Akali Dal leader Dhindsa were conferred the Padma Bhushan.
Renowned singer Shankar Mahadevan Narayan (Padma Shri), former Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha Karia Munda (Padma Bhushan), physicians Sandeep Guleria and Ilias Ali (both Padma Shri) and wrestler Bajrang Punia (Padma Shri) were also honoured today.
The Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian awards of the country -- are conferred in three categories: the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri.
As many as 112 "inspiring" personalities were selected for this year's Padma awards. The awards were announced on the eve of Republic Day this year.
The remaining awardees will be conferred the honour at another function to be held on March 16, said news agency PTI, quoting a Home Ministry official.
This year's awardees are from across the nation, all segments of society and the government has gone beyond excellence alone, recognising larger impact and their selfless service.
A record 50,000 nominations were received for the 2019 awards, over 20 times more than 2014, when there were just 2,200 nominations.
With additional inputs from PTI
PM Modi's 2nd Visit To Russia This Year, To Attend BRICS Summit Next Week PM Modi Chairs NDA Chief Ministers' Meet, Discusses Governance Issues "Inaccurate Reports": Centre On Cricket Coming Up In S Jaishankar's Pakistan Visit Hamas Confirms Yahya Sinwar Killed By Israel, Won't Free Hostages Until... MK Stalin Asks Centre To Recall Tamil Nadu Governor In Row Over Anthem Drone Footage Of Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar's Last Moments Released By Israel UPSC ESE 2025: Application Window Reopens, Check Deadline And Key Details Australia's Northern Territory To Soon Resume Jailing 10-Year-Olds If You Doing Things After Eating A Meal, You Must Stop Right Away Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.