Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes, Parrikar conferred with Padma awards posthumously

Former Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Manohar Parrikar and George Fernandes have been conferred Padma awards posthumously, according to an official announcement made on Saturday.

While Sushma Swaraj, Jaitley and Fernandes will be awarded with Padma Vibhushan posthumously, Parrikar will be conferred Padma Bhushan.

Jaitley, a former finance minister, passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in August 2019. He was 66.

Jaitley first became a Cabinet minister in the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000. He then also went on to serve as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from June 2009. He was appointed the finance minister in the first term of Modi government in 2014 and opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.

Sushma Swaraj served as a minister in all the governments headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and held various portfolios. She was External Affairs Minister in the previous BJP-led government. She was the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi for a brief period in 1998. Sushma Swaraj passed away at AIIMS on August 6 last year following a cardiac arrest.

Parrikar, a four-time Chief Minister of Goa and a former Defence Minister died last year in March after fighting a long battle with cancer.

Parrikar took charge as the Chief Minister on March 14, 2017, and held the office till his end.

Fernandes, who was was a key member of the Janata Dal and the founder of the Samata Party, was a member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar for a short term while, and a member of Lok Sabha for a very long period. He held several ministerial portfolios including communications, industry, railways, and defence.

The Padma Vibhushan is the highest civilian award in India after the Bharat Ratna, which is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.

The Padma awards are conferred in three categories -- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

This year's the government announced seven Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri recipients. Among the awardees, 34 are women and the list also includes 18 persons in the category of foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI.