On Republic Day several personalities receive the prestigious Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards, to recognise their contributions to arts, sports, sciences, social work, films etc. The awards do not carry any monetary benefits. This year there were 131 awardees that included 16 posthumous and six foreigners/NRI/OCI/PIO. (TGE Jan 26). Generally, the Padma Awards are up to 120, excluding posthumous and foreigners/NRI/OCI/PIO. Before the next Republic Day, the govt could announce: Posthumous and ‘foreigners’ as a separate class so that the number of awardees could be increased in the other categories. Provision for financial support could be made for posthumous awardees as it could help the family and secondly those already awarded in a particular field of work will not be awarded again unless it is in a new field and only after 10-15 years of proven capability in the new one. It is pointless to add feathers to a person’s cap for extended contribution in the same field while several deserving and unsung people are left out.
