E-Paper
10 from Uttar Pradesh among Padma awardees
The awardees include Rambahadur Rai, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Hriday Narayan Dixit and Dr Soniya Nityanand
Among the 139 Padma awardees whose names the Centre announced on the eve of 76th Republic Day on Saturday, 10—two Padma Bhushan and eight Padma Shri—are from Uttar Pradesh. The Padma Bhushan awardees from the state are Rambahadur Rai (literature and education) and Sadhvi Ritambhara (social work).
Among the eight who have been chosen for the Padma Shri award from the state are former speaker UP legislative assembly Hriday Narayan Dixit (literature and education); vice chancellor, King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, Dr Soniya Nityanand (medicine); Satyapal Singh (sports); Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid (literature and education); Ashutosh Sharma (science and engineering); Narayan (Bhulai Bhai) (posthumously for public affairs); Shyam Bihari Agrawal (art) and Syed Ainul Hasan (literature and education).
Vice chancellor of King George’s Medical University, Dr Soniya Nityanand, has been awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution to the medical field.
She is among the few bone marrow specialists in the country. In the past, she has also served as director, Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences.
In the past year KGMU vice chancellor, she not only laid the foundation stone of a bone marrow transplant unit but also got state approval for a massive expansion of the KGMU campus.
Born at Louva village in Unnao on December 25, 1946, Hriday Narayan Dixit is a politician, writer and journalist who served as the speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2022.
A senior BJP leader, he has represented Unnao’s Bhagwantnagar constituency in the assembly between 2017 and 2022. He first became an MLA in 1985 as an independent candidate.
He also served as a minister for parliamentary affairs and panchayatiraj in the coalition government headed by Mayawati in 1995.
Known for his scholarly interests, he has authored several books on Indian philosophy, culture, and politics. Dixit has also contributed to journalism and has been associated with various social and political movements. He was imprisoned for 19 months during the Emergency.
Another Padma Shri awardee, Satyapal Singh has been recognised for his work in sports, having coached high jump Paralympic athlete Praveen Kumar who has consistently won medals for the country.
Under the guidance and training of Satyapal Singh, Kumar won a gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. He had previously won a silver and a gold at the 2020 and 2022 Paralympics respectively.
Acharya Pt Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid is a renowned scholar of Vedic mathematics and astrology. He fixed auspicious timing for the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ramlalla at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya that took place on January 22, 2024. He had also determined timing of foundation laying of Ram Temple that took place on August 5, 2020. Acharya Shastri, who lives in Kashi, had also fixed the timing for inauguration of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Corridor that took place on December 13, 2021.
He was among the four proposers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter filed his nomination for Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in last general election in 2024.
