Why in News?

On the occasion of 73rd Republic Day, the President announced 128 Padma Awards for the year 2022. Shaibal Gupta and Acharya Chandnaji of Bihar have been selected for the Padma Shri.

Key Points:

=> Acharya Chandnaji of Bihar has been selected for social work, while Shaibal Gupta has been posthumously selected for the Padma Shri award for his distinguished contribution to literature and education.

=> The Padma Awards are the country's highest civilian honors, which are conferred in three categories. These three categories include Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. 'Padma Vibhushan' for exceptional and distinguished service, 'Padma Bhushan' for distinguished service of high order and 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field.

=> These awards are given in various disciplines/fields, viz., arts, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

=> These awards are announced by the President every year on the occasion of 'Republic Day' and are presented in formal functions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually in March/April.

=> This year the President has approved the conferment of 128 Padma Awards, including 2 Jodi Awards (the award given to a pair is counted as one award). The list includes 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri awards.

=> Among the recipients of Padma awards, 34 are women and 10 persons in this list are under the Foreigner/NRI/PIO/OCI category and 13 persons have been given the award posthumously.