US-based hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal made it to the list of Padma awardees announced by the government on the eve of Republic Day. Chatwal, who has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan, is one of the 13 awardees in the category of Foreigners/NRIs/PIOs. As reported by The Sunday Express, Chatwal was until recently facing trial for alleged bank fraud, and had also been arrested briefly.
Indian origin Nobel laureate Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, former RBI Governor Dr Yaga Venugopal Reddy, chief of Apollo Hospitals Dr Prathap Chandra Reddy, veteran theatre personalities Zohra Segal and Ebrahim Alkazi, and Carnatic mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman have been chosen for the Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second-highest civilian honour.
Composers A R Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja, actor Aamir Khan, Hindustani classical singer Pandit Chhannulal Mishra, danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria, DLF chief Kushal Pal Singh, former cabinet secretary B K Chaturvedi and historian Bipan Chandra are among the 43 Padma Bhushan awardees.
Source:.indianexpress.com/