Ex-CVC Vinod Rai, Anupam Kher among 19 Padma Bhushan awardees

Former chief vigilance commissioner Vinod Rai, actor Anupam Kher, sportspersons Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza and late spiritual leader Swami Dayanand Saraswati are among the 19 notable personalities to get Padma Bhushan awards this year.

Others who will get Padma Bhushan award, announced by the government on Monday, are Udit Narayan Jha (art-playback singing), Ram V. Sutar (art-sculpture), Heisnam Kanhailal (art-theatre), Dr Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad (literature and education), Prof N.S. Ramanuja Tatacharya (literature and education), Dr Barjinder Singh Hamdard (literature and education - journalism), Prof D. Nageshwar Reddy (medicine-gastroenterology), Swami Tejomayananda (other-spiritualism), Hafeez Contractor (others-architecture), Ravindra Chandra Bhargava (public affairs), Dr Venkata Rama Rao Alla (science & engineering), Indu Jain (trade & industry), Robert Blackwill (public affairs) and Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (trade & industry).

This year, President Pranab Mukherjee will confer Padma awards, including 10 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 83 Padma Shri awards on 112 people from different walks of life.

As many as 19 awardees are women and 10 are from foreigners, non-resident Indians and People of Indian Origin (including one posthumous). Four of those on the honour list are posthumous awardees.