Legendary singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, who died last year, will get the Padma Vibushan, the second highest civilian award in the country, posthumously.
Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, cardiologist B.M. Hegde and B.B. Lal, the archaeologist who claimed to have discovered temple remains at Ayodhya, will also get the Padma Vibhushan, the Union Home Ministry announced on the eve of Republic Day. Singer K.S. Chithra, former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Nripendra Misra, former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and former Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Tarlochan Singh are among the 10 Padma Bhushan recipients.
No film stars, cricketers
The Padma Bhushan will be conferred posthumously on former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and Shia cleric Kalbe Sadiq.
The 1971 Bangladesh war veteran Lt.Col. Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahid and Bangladeshi artist Sanjida Khatun will get the Padma Shri.
No film stars or cricketers were named this year.
Rajni Bector of Mrs Bector’s Food Specialities, the Punjab-based company that is known for its biscuits and bakery products and whose initial public offering (IPO) was oversubscribed last year, has been selected for Padma Shri.
Sangkhumi Bualchhuak from Mizoram will be given Padma Shri in the social work category.
Sindhutai Sapkal from Maharashtra, known to help orphans, will get Padma Shri. Professor C.L Sapru from Jammu and Kashmir, who died last year, will get Padma Shri posthumously.