List of Padma Awardees 2016

The Padma Awards is one of the highest civilian awards in India. Having been instituted in 1954, the awards were instituted to be awarded to the country’s citizens for their distinguished contribution to various activities such as art, education, sports etc. The awards are divided into three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

On the eve of Republic Day, the list of recipients for this year’s awards was announced; among the recipients are common media personalities, Bollywood actors, public official, politicians and even some sportsmen. The Padma Vibhushan award(currently the second highest civilian award in the country) will be awarded to the famous actor Rajinikanth, Ramoji Rao, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who is a spiritual guru and Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries.

This year, the Padma Bhushan award will be given to former CAG Vinod Rai, Bollywood singer Udit Narayan and actor Anupam Kher. The former US ambassador, sportspersons Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza, and Indu Jain will also receive this award.

Among the recipients of the Padma Shri award are the senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, actors Ajay Devgan and Priyanka Chopra, alongside the Director of Bahubali Fame, SS Rajamouli and Malini Awasthi, who is a singer.

You can tune in to any of the free news channels, to watch the Padma awards being awarded to this year's recipients.