As August gives way to beautiful September, it’s time to prepare ourselves for the festive season. We have just immersed Lord Ganesh in his water abode in the hope that he takes some of our obstacles away from us. In fact, we are already seeing some blessings in the world of sports! Indian athletes are shining bright in the Paralympics, and we already have two gold, one silver and one bronze medal. Desh Apnayen salutes our heroes.
Another blessing we always have as citizens in a democracy is that of asking for accountability and transparency in governing processes. It is our right and our duty to get involved. From this month onwards, we the people will have a say in choosing the recipients of three of the highest civilian honours the country has to bestow – the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan awards.
The government opened this process on 9th September 2016. Now, anyone of us can nominate a fellow citizen we think is deserving of this honor. The website is http://padmaawards.gov.in/.
According to an article by Anjali Shrivastava in ‘The Better India’, “ These awards were established in the year 1954 and have three subcategories, namely Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree (in decreasing order of precedence). The awards are conferred on individuals who exhibit exceptional achievements and significant contributions in various fields like arts, science and engineering, civil services, sports, trade and industry, public service, literature and education, social work, and medicine.
Ever since the inception of these awards, the process of nominations has been restricted solely to government authorities. Up until now, the nominations used to come from the ministers of various states, union territories and the central government; Members of Parliament; various departments of the Central government; and Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan awardees only.” You can read the full article here.
Now as conscious citizens, it is our job, honour and privilege to get involved in this process. Desh Apnayen urges you to visit the website with elders and youngers in your family, understand the process and put in a nomination. Let’s make this nomination an integral part of our upcoming celebrations!
The Padma Awards – and you!
