Centre Rejects Mammootty And KS Chithra For Padma Awards: Report
The Kerala government had recommended 20 candidates for the Padma Awards, but the Centre accepted only two names, rejecting the rest including renowned actor Mammootty and singer KS Chithra, reported 24 News. This was made while honouring 132 people across India with the awards.
The Centre selected late writer MT Vasudevan Nair for Padma Vibhushan and Olympian PR Sreejesh for Padma Bhushan from Kerala’s list.
However, the state’s recommendations for Padma Shri, including writer MK Sanu, Padmini Thomas, K Jayakumar IAS, and industrialist TS Kalyanaraman, were rejected.
The union government chose names that were not on Kerala’s list, such as Dr Jose Chacho Periapuram, actress cum dancer Shobana, footballer IM Vijayan, and artist Omanakutty for the awards.
Kerala’s legendary Malayalam writer, late MT Vasudevan Nair was posthumously conferred Padma Vibhushan. Five more Malayalis will also receive Padma awards. The Centre announced Padma Vibhushan to seven people, Padma Bhushan to 19, and Padma Shri to 113 people.
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KS Chithra, known as the ‘Nightingale of Kerala,’ has received numerous awards and honours for her contributions to music. She has won six National Awards for best female playback singer and has been conferred with Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
Mammootty was honoured with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 1998 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Indian cinema. He also received the prestigious Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Calicut and the University of Kerala in 2010.
More recently, in 2022, Mammootty was conferred with the Kerala Prabha, the second-highest award given by the Government of Kerala.
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The Padma Awards, which were announced by the Home Ministry on the eve of Republic Day among the highest civilian awards in India, are presented in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
These prestigious accolades are awarded in various fields such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, and more.
The ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is bestowed for exceptional and distinguished service, the ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of a high order, and the ‘Padma Shri’ for notable contributions in any field. The awards are traditionally announced on Republic Day each year.
