M A I N   N E W S

Montek Singh, Kidwai, Brajesh awarded Padma Vibhushan
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 25
Eminent art administrator, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, the WIPRO chairman Azim Premji, former Haryana Governor A.R. Kidwai and the vice chairman of the Planning Commission, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia were, among others, conferred the Padma Vibhushan on the eve of the Republic Day today.

Former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, Vijay Kelkar and late L.C. Jain were also conferred the highest Padma award.

This year 13 people were awarded the Padma Vibhushan for ‘exceptional and distinguished services’ while 31 were conferred the Padma Bhushan for ‘distinguished service of a high order’ and 84 were shortlisted for the Padma Shri, given for distinguished service in various fields. There are 31 women among the recipients.

Delhi and Maharashtra continued to dominate the list of recipients of Padma awards, the highest civilian awards in the country, released on Tuesday. Among the 128 awardees from the country and 12 from abroad, as many as 21 are from Delhi and 18 from Maharashtra. Twelve recipients are from Tamil Nadu and 11 from Andhra Pradesh and 4 from Gujarat.

Haryana pipped Punjab with two Padma Vibhushans while Punjab had to be content with a Padma Shri for Harbhajan Singh, the mountaineer and not the cricketer.

Mrs Neelam Man Singh Chaudhry from Chandigarh has been conferred the Padma Shri. Other recipients from the region include Krishen Khanna, the painter, and R.S. Pawar, industrialist from Haryana besides Riyaz Punjabi and N.D. Sharma from J & K, D.D. Sharma from Uttarakhand, Bhalchandra Nemade from Himachal Pradesh--all from the fields of Literature and Education.

Musician Khayyam and Krishna Shashtry Srikantan, vocalists Usha Uthup, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam were also honoured besides several actors from cinema including Shashi Kapoor and Waheeda Rahman, Kajol, Tabu and Irfan.

Several doctors figure in the list of recipients and they include Dr S.P. Mandal ( Orthopaedist from Delhi), Prof Mansoor Hasan ( Cardiologist from UP), Dr S. Vittal ( Endrocrinologist from Tamil Nadu ), Dr Indira Hinduja, (gynaecologist from Maharashtra) and Dr A.M. Pillai, Neurosurgeon from Kerala. Also awarded was Dr Suman Sahai of Gene Campaign.

From trade, business, banking and industry, Chanda Kochhar of ICICI Bank and S (Kris) Gopalakrishnan of Infosys, Yogi Deveshwar of ITC and Analjit Singh of Max group were awarded.

Sportspersons included Kunjarani Devi (weightlifter), Sushil Kumar (wrestler), Gagan Narang (shooter) and Krishna Poonia (athlete) and VVS Laxman (cricketer) among others.