Mumbai, May 26: In a significant ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Awards to 66 distinguished individuals on May 25. This marks the first phase of the award distribution, with a total of 131 Padma Awards approved for this year. The remaining awardees will be honored in a subsequent ceremony.
The Padma Awards, established in 1954, are among the highest civilian honors in India, recognizing excellence in various fields including arts, literature, education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public relations, and business. This year, the awards include 19 women among the recipients.
The awards were announced on Republic Day, with five individuals receiving the Padma Vibhushan, 13 the Padma Bhushan, and 113 the Padma Shri. Notably, two individuals were posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, including former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Bollywood actor Dharmendra.
Additionally, on May 24, the names of the winners of the Sansad Ratna Awards were revealed, honoring 12 MPs and four parliamentary committees for their outstanding performance in Parliament. The awards, initiated in 2010 based on a suggestion from former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, aim to recognize excellence among parliamentarians.
In another development, the Assam Assembly presented the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill on May 25, which will be discussed in the house on May 27. If passed, Assam will become the third state in India to implement the UCC, following Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
Lastly, a rare Egyptian Vulture, also known as the white vulture, was discovered in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, during a special counting campaign conducted by the local forest department from May 22 to 24. The presence of this endangered species indicates a healthy ecosystem in the region.