Padma Shri awards announced; unsung heroes to be honoured

New Delhi [India], January 25 : The Padma Awards 2024 were announced on Republic Day eve, Thursday. For this year, the President has approved the conferment of 132 Padma Awards, including 2 duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one).
The list also comprises 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 110 Padma Shri Awards. 30 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 8 honorees from the category of Foreigners / NRI / PIO / OCI and 9 Posthumous awardees.
The list includes several unsung heroes who have made a remarkable impact on society.
Parbati Baruah, a native of Assam and India's first female elephant mahout, who overcame stereotypes to create a space for herself in a traditionally male-dominated field was awarded Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Animal Welfare). She stood out for her commitment towards mitigating human-elephant conflict with the help of the application of scientific practices - assisted 3 state governments to tackle and capture wild elephants.
Jageshwar Yadav, a Tribal Welfare Worker from Jashpur, Chhattisgarh who dedicated his life to the upliftment of marginalized Birhor Pahadi Korwa people, has been awarded Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Tribal PVTG).
Chami Murmu, a Tribal Environmentalist and Women empowerment champion from Seraikela Kharsawan, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Environment afforestation). She spearheaded afforestation efforts planting over 30 lakh plants with 3,000 women.
Gurvinder Singh, a Divyang Social Worker from Sirsa, worked for the betterment of the homeless, destitute, women, and orphans and Divyangjan has also been awarded Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Divyang).
Sathyanarayana Beleri, a paddy farmer from Kasaragod who emerged as a custodian of the paddy crop by preserving over 650 traditional rice varieties, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Others (Agriculture Cereal Rice).
Dukhu Majhi, a Tribal Environmentalist from Sindri village, Purulia planted over 5,000 Banyan, Mango and Blackberry trees on barren land while travelling to new destinations on his bicycle every day, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Environment Afforestation).
K Chellammal, an organic Farmer from South Andaman who successfully developed a 10-acre organic farm, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Others (Agriculture Organic).
Sangthankima a social worker from Aizawl who has been running Mizoram's largest orphanage 'Thutak Nunpuitu Team', to receive Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Children).
Hemchand Manjhi, a traditional medicinal practitioner from Narayanpur providing affordable healthcare to villagers for over 5 decades, having started serving the needy at the age of 15, to receive Padma Shri in the field of Medicine (AYUSH Traditional Medicine).
Yanung Jamoh Lego, East Siang-based herbal medicine expert who has provided medical care to over 10,000 patients, educated 1 lakh individuals on medicinal herbs and trained SHGs in their use, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Others (Agriculture Medicinal Plants).
Somanna, a Tribal Welfare Worker from Mysuru working tirelessly for the upliftment of the Jenu Kuruba tribe for over 4 decades, has been conferred Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Tribal PVTG).
Prema Dhanraj, a Plastic Reconstructive Surgeon Social Worker dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of burn victims her legacy extends beyond surgery, championing burn prevention awareness and policy reform, will receive Padma Shri in the field of Medicine (Indigenous Burns).
Sarbeswar Basumatary a Tribal Farmer from Assam's Chirang successfully adopted a mixed integrated farming approach and cultivated varieties of crops like coconuts, oranges, paddy, litchis and maize from Assam.
Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, International Mallakhamb Coach, who worked relentlessly in reviving, revitalizing and popularizing the sport at the global level, has been awarded Padma Shri in the field of Sports (Coach - Mallakhamb).
Among the other honorees were Yazdi Maneksha Italia (Gujarat)- Medicine (Indigenous - Sickle Cell), Shanti Devi Paswan and Shivan Paswan (Bihar) in the field of Art (Painting - Folk - Madhubani), Ratan Kahar (West Bengal) in the Art (Vocals- Folk - Bhadu), Ashok Kumar Biswas (Bihar) in the field of Art (Painting - Folk - Tikuli), Balakrishnan Sadanam Puthiya Veetil (Kerala) in Art (Dance - Classical - Kathakali), Uma Maheshwari D (Andhra Pradesh) in Art (Storytelling - Harikatha), Gopinath Swain (Odisha) in the Art (Vocals - Bhajan - Odia), Smriti Rekha Chakma (Tripura) in Art (Textile - Weaving - Loinloom) in Art (Theatre - Folk - Mach), Omprakash Sharma (Madhya Pradesh), Narayanan EP (Kerala) in Art (Dance - Folk - Theyyam), Bhagabat Padhan (Odisha) in Art (Dance - Folk - Sabda Nrutya), Sanatan Rudra Pal (West Bengal) in Art (Sculpture), Badrappan M (Tamil Nadu) in Art (Dance - Folk - Kummi), Jordan Lepcha (Sikkim) Art (Craft - Bamboo) in Art (Craft - Pottery - Black) , Machihan Sasa (Manipur), Gaddam Sammaiah (Telangana) in Art (Dance - Yakshagana), Jankilal (Rajasthan) in Art (Theatre - Folk - Rajasthani), Dasari Kondappa (Telangana) in Art (Music - Instrument - String - Burra Veena), Babu Ram Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) in Art (Craft - Brass), Nepal Chandra Sutradhar ( West Bengal) Art (Craft - Mask Making - Chau) have also been awarded Padma Shri.