Eight from Telangana, Andhra get Padma Shri

Industrialist B. V. Mohan Reddy, sculptor Aekka Yadagiri Rao, Unani physician Mohammed Abdul Waheed and educationist V. Koteswaramma are among eight personalities from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who were honoured with Padma Shri awards ahead of the Republic Day.

Six from Telangana and two from Andhra Pradesh were among 75 recipients of India's fourth highest civilian awards announced by the central government on Wednesday.

Daripalli Ramaiah, who have been planting trees for four decades, Chintakindi Mallesham, who invented Laxmi Asu machine which relieved the pain of weavers, distinguished scientist and Director, Electronics & Instrumentation Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and founding Chairman and MD of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) T. Hanuman Chowdary are the other Padma Shri awardees from Telugu states.

Mohan Reddy is the founder and executive chairman IT services firm Cyient.

"I am honoured that the Government of India has recognised me for my contribution in creating engineering R&D industry in the country. The award is also a recognition for a first generation entrepreneur for building a sustainable global technology company," said Mohan Reddy, former chairman of NASSCOM, the apex body of India's IT industry.

Waheed is currently working as director of Central research Institute of Unani Medicine, Hyderabad. He published many research papers on Unani medicine in International and national journals and attended national and International conferences.

Yadagiri Rao is a well-known sculptor from Telangana. He retired as professor of department of sculptor, college of fine arts, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU).

--IANS

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