Any Indian citizen can now nominate an achiever for Padma Awards
Filmstar Rajinikanth receiving Padma Vibhushan award from President Pranab Mukherjee
In a welcome move, any Indian can now recommend an achiever for the prestigious Padma Awards as the government is throwing open the nomination process to general public to make it transparent and curb the culture of influence and lobbying.
The nominations can be made online but the nominators would be required to furnish their Aadhaar details for authenticity and accountability. “For the first time, government of India is encouraging the people of India to nominate achievers for the Padma Awards,” sources told PTI.
It is a step towards transforming the national awards into a truly people’s award which will no longer remain restricted to elite rulers. Opening up of the nomination process to the general public will also help in identifying unsung or lesser known people of excellence. “Simple online nomination encourages and facilitates all Indian citizens to participate,” the sources added.
Reportedly, the change in the nomination process is aimed at curbing the crony culture of influence and lobbying. “Online application portal plus electronic management system harnesses technology to make processing of nominations efficient and transparent,” the source said.
The government has already received over 1700 nominations and the last date of nomination is September 15.
Padma Awards were instituted in the year 1954 and are announced every year on Republic Day. The award is given in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
List of Padma Awardees 2016 include notable personalities like Rajinikanth, Yamini Krishnamurthi, Girija Devi, Ramoji Rao, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, Dr Viswanathan Shanta, late Dhirubhai Ambani, Anupam Kher, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Ajay Devgn and Priyanka Chopra.
