Steering clear of controversy, the government’s civil awards list — the Padma awards, as they are known — had a large number of artists, litterateurs and civil servants and a few business people.
In a year of scams, businessmen who have been awarded are newsmakers in their field with solid antecedents. The Padma Bhushan has been awarded to Subbiah Murugappa Vellayan, former chairman of the Murugappa Group and chairman of National Skill Development Corporation and B Muthuraman, Tata Steel vice-chairman.
The Padma Shri has gone to Priya Paul, chairperson of Apeejay Park Hotels; Arun Firodia, chairman of Kinetic Group and Swati Piramal, director, Strategic Alliances and Communications, Piramal Healthcare.
Three foreigners: Prof Shoji Shiba, currently Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba, Japan, Advisory Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and Honorary Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Gopinath Pillai, executive chairman of Savant Infocomm and former Singapore ambassador to Pakistan and former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo, who took a deep interest in the Nalanda University initiative have also been awarded the Padma Shri
A number of civil servants have received the civilian award this time. Former IB chief and governor of UP TV Rajeshwar has got the Padma Vibhushan. Former chief vigilance commissioner N Vittal, former UP civil servant Mata Prasad and former Indian ambassador to the US Ronen Sen have got the Padma Bhushan. Y Malegam of the famous Malegam committee has been awarded the Padma Shri.
Several doctors and physicians have been honoured. Among them are cardiologist Devi Shetty, oncologist Suresh Advani and neurologist Noshir Wadia.
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Arvind Panagariya, academic, has been awarded a Padma Bhushan.
Among those who have got the award for the arts are musician Bhupen Hazarika and cartoonist Mario Miranda (Padma Vibhushan posthumously), artist Anish Kapur, film maker Mira Nair, film actors Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi (Padma Bhushan) and Zia Fariduddin Dagar and the Gundecha brothers (music).