Padma awards declared: Padma Vibhushan for SPB, Shinzo Abe, Padma Bhushan for KS Chitra

NEW DELHI: This year's Padma awards have been announced ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, singer SP Balasubramaniam (posthumously), sand artist Sudarshan Sahoo and archaeologist BB Lal were among the Padma Vibhushan recipients.

Singer KS Chitra was conferred the Padma Bhushan while lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri was among the Padma Shri recipients.

The Union Home Ministry said the President has approved conferment of 119 Padma awards --seven Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri.

Twenty-nine women are among the Padma awardees and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of foreigners, NRI, PIO AND OCI and one transgender.

Sixteen people have been given the award posthumously.

KK Ramachandra Pulavar (Art), Balan Putheri (Education) and Dr. Dhananjaya Divakar (Medicine) from Kerala were also awarded the Padma Shri. Tarun Gogoi and Ram Vilas Paswan will be posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan.

Writer Chandrasekhara Kambara, former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Nripendra Misra, religious leader Kalbe Sadiq (Posthumous), and social worker Tarlochan Singh were also awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Former governor late Mridula Sinha and former union minister Bijoya Bijoya Chakravarty have been named for Padma Shri.