Cyient founder B V R Mohan Reddy among Padma recipients

Mr. B V R Mohan Reddy, Founder and Executive Chairman, Cyient and Former Chairman, NASSCOM, was among the well known personalities to receive the Padma Shri from the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, at an award ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Thursday.

He received the award for his contribution in the engineering research and development industry in the country.

The award is also a recognition for a first generation entrepreneur for building a sustainable global technology company.

The award acknowledges his effort in building a digitally-empowered society. Mr. Reddy is the only awardee in the trade and industry category this year.

Among the others conferred the Padma awards were former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma (Posthumous), BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar and former ISRO chairman Professor U R Rao. They received the country's second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan.

The Padma Bhushan award, the nation's third highest civilian award, was conferred on yoga guru Swami Niranjana Nanda Saraswati, Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Tehemton Erach Udwadia, a doctor who is considered the father of laproscopic surgery in India.

Cricketer Virat Kohli, Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal and many others were conferred the Padma Shri award.

The ceremony was attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Speaker of the Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan and other dignitaries.