President Droupadi Murmu will confer Padma awards on 66 people on May 25 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The ceremony will be held at the Ganatantra Mandap.
In this first phase, the President will present 2 Padma Vibhushan, 6 Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri awards. The remaining awardees will be honoured in a subsequent ceremony, officials said.
The Padma awards are presented annually by the Union government to recognise distinguished contributions across fields such as art, literature, education, sports, medicine, social service, science, engineering and industry. They are announced traditionally on the eve of Republic Day.
For this year, Padma honours have been announced for a total of 131 people, including 14 from Tamil Nadu and one from Puducherry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are among those expected to attend the event.
Among the Padma Bhushan recipients are actor Mammootty, tennis player Vijay Amritraj, Tamil Nadu-based gastroenterology specialist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palanisamy, and Erode social worker S.K.M. Mayilanandhan, along with others.
