Central Idea

Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, actors Chiranjeevi and Vyjayanthimala Bali, and Bharatanatyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam will be conferred with Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian award, the Central government announced on the eve of Republic Day.
Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, will be conferred with the award posthumously.

About Padma Award

The Padma Awards are among India’s most prestigious civilian honors, announced annually on Republic Day’s eve, following the Bharat Ratna.
These awards are designed to recognize outstanding achievements across various fields and disciplines, particularly those involving public service.
The Government of India introduced the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan in 1954.
Initially, the Padma Vibhushan had three classes: Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg, and Tisra Varg, which were renamed in 1955 as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, respectively.

There are three categories of Padma Awards:

Padma Vibhushan: This is awarded for ‘exceptional and distinguished service.’
Padma Bhushan: This is for ‘distinguished service of a high order.’
Padma Shri: This is given for ‘distinguished service.’

The awards are open to all individuals regardless of race, occupation, position, or gender.
Government employees, except doctors and scientists, are generally ineligible.
The awards are usually not given posthumously, but exceptions can be made in extraordinary cases.
A recipient can be considered for a higher category of Padma award only if at least five years have passed since their previous Padma honor. However, exceptions can be made for exceptionally deserving cases.

Nominations are reviewed by the Padma Awards Committee, formed annually by the Prime Minister.
The Committee, led by the Cabinet Secretary, includes the Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and 4-6 distinguished members.
The Committee’s recommendations are forwarded to the Prime Minister and the President for final approval.

The awards are not titles and cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes to the awardees’ names.
The number of awards given annually (excluding posthumous awards and those to NRIs/foreigners/OCIs) is capped at 120.