Venkaiah Naidu expresses humility on Padma Vibhushan honor

"Humbled to receive the Padma Vibhushan award. As I serve the nation beyond my Vice Presidential tenure, this honor strengthens my commitment to contribute to building a Shreshth Bharat," posted Naidu on X Thursday.

New Delhi: Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said that he was “humbled” by the Padma Vibhushan conferred upon him.

“Truly humbled by the honour of Padma Vibhushan award conferred upon me. As I continue to serve the people after my tenure as the Vice President of India, this honour makes me even more conscious of my role in the national endeavour to create a Shreshth Bharat,” Naidu posted on X on Thursday.

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The former Vice President dedicated this honour to the farmers, women, youth and all my fellow citizens of India.

“I dedicate this honour to the farmers, women, youth and all my fellow citizens of Bharat. Let us rededicate ourselves to the service of the motherland and strive to take Bharat to greater heights of glory,” he added.

Former Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, along with four other recipients, including the late social worker and founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak, were honoured with the country’s second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, on the eve of Republic Day.

Popular Indian actress Vyjayantimala Bali; actor, film producer, and former politician Konidela Chiranjeevi; and classical Bharata Natyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam have also been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan on Thursday.

There are 132 names on the list of Padma Awardees this year, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one), as per the list below. The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri Awards. 30 of the awardees are women, and the list also includes 8 persons from the categories of foreign non-resident Indian (NRI), person of Indian origin (PIO), overseas citizenship of India (OCI), and nine posthumous awardees.

The Padma Awards, which were instituted in 1954, are one of the highest civilian honours of India and are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order), and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.

The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year. The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and four to six eminent persons as members. The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval.