New Delhi, Jan 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said his government had transformed the process for selecting Padma award winners and common people were now being honoured because the emphasis was no longer on the name of a nominee, but on the work done.
In the year’s first ‘Mann ki Baat’ address, Modi said the awards are being bestowed on people “who do not live in big cities and are not visible in newspapers and TV”. “Making the (nomination) process online has led to transparency. The selection process for these awards has undergone a transformation,” he said.
People were being honoured without a recommendation, he stressed in his monthly radio programme. “If you look at these winners, you will feel proud that such kind of people live in society and will also naturally feel proud that they are getting this recognition without any ‘sifarish’ (recommendation),” he said.
“Now the identity of the awardee is not the deciding factor of the award, rather the importance of his work is increasing,” he said. The Prime Minister also highlighted the works of some of this year’s winners, whose names were announced on the eve of Republic Day, and said they should be invited to schools and colleges so that they could share their experiences and inspire others.
He mentioned that this year’s Padma awardees include Lakshmikutty, a tribal woman from Kerala who prepares herbal medicines, and Arvind Gupta, an IIT Kanpur alumnus who inspired generations of students to learn science from trash. Society should also go beyond these awards and make efforts to recognise people working selflessly, he said.
Modi began his address by noting that for the first time heads of 10 countries were present as guests during the Republic Day parade in the national capital on January 26. Lauding woman power and highlighting a letter posted on his app by a citizen, he pointed out that astronaut Kalpana Chawla’s death anniversary falls on February 1 and her life had inspired lakhs of young people.
She gave the message that there is no limit to woman power, he said, adding that women in India were moving forward in every field and making the country proud. Modi said women’s achievements and place in society in ancient India had surprised the world and quoted a ‘shloka’ which said one daughter was equal to 10 sons.
PTI
