PADMA AWARD AND THE RECIPIENT’S CONSENT
The Padma awards are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day. As many as 128 people ranging from veteran politicians, businessmen, scientists and doctors to artists and ordinary people engaged in public service were announced to have been selected for conferment of Padma awards this year.
Why in news? While most accepted the awards gracefully, former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee refused to accept it.
Significance of Padma awards
- Importance
- Recognition: Instituted in 1954, they are the highest civilian honour of India after the Bharat Ratna.
- Variations: The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service).
- Eligibility: All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards. However, government servants including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for these awards.
- Rewards public service: The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.
- Rewards exceptions: The award is given for “special services” and not just for “long service”. “It should not be merely excellence in a particular field, but the criteria have to be ‘excellence plus’”.
- Inclusion and exclusion
- Nominations: Any citizen of India can nominate a potential recipient including oneself. An 800-word essay detailing the work done by the potential awardee is also to be submitted online for the nomination to be considered.
- Selection: All nominations received for Padma awards are placed before the Padma Awards Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, constituted by the Prime Minister every year. Their recommendations are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President for approval.
- Indirect removal: Before the announcement, every recipient receives a call from the Ministry of Home Affairs informing him or her about the selection. In case the recipient expresses a desire to be excluded from the award list, the name is removed.
- Limitations and exceptions
- No cash award: The awardees do not get any cash reward but a certificate signed by the President apart from a medallion which they can wear at public and government functions.
- Cannot be used as title: The awards are, however, not a conferment of title and the awardees are expected to not use them as prefix or suffix to their names.
- Cooling period: Padma awardee can be given a higher award only after five years of the conferment of the earlier award.
- Exceptions: Not more than 120 awards can be given in a year but this does not include posthumous awards or awards given to NRIs and foreigners.
Recipient’s consent
- Formal consent is not asked: There is no provision for seeking a written or formal consent of the recipient before announcement of the award.
- Informal consent: Before the announcement, every recipient receives a call from the Ministry of Home Affairs informing him or her about the selection. In case the recipient expresses a desire to be excluded from the award list, the name is removed.
- Political meaning: When the government offers an award to a person for the service he/she did for the nation or society and when he/she declines it, the government of the day takes it as a sign of loss of reputation.
- Direct declining: When a person doesn’t decline the award when informed by the MHA, he/she will be there in the list. It becomes news if they don’t show up to receive the award.
- Example: In 2022, former West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya refused the award stating that he was not informed.
- Annulling the award: As per the 1954 Padma awards order, a resident may cancel and annul a Padma Award. For cancellation or withdrawal of awards, the request can be examined by the government.
- Political stand: Sometimes awardees take it as an opportunity to inform the government that they don’t support the political stand and economic policies of the people who are conferring the award.
Several intended recipients, including musician Hemanta Kumar Mukherjee, sitar player Vilayat Khan, academic and author Mamoni Raisom Goswami, journalist Kanak Sen Deka, and noted Bollywood screenwriter Salim Khan, have declined the Padma Shri for various reasons. In 2022, renowned Bengali singer “Gitashri” Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, 90, turned down her offer for the Padma Shri award on the eve of the 73rd Republic Day of India.