Times of India; Sunday, Aug 7, 2011.
MUMBAI: For the first time since the introduction of prestigious the Padma awards were instituted in 1954, one can expect more transparency in the norms for selection of nominees with the Centre prescribing comprehensive guidelines for the purpose.
A senior state government official on Saturday said, it was possible owing to enactment of the right to information Act.
"There were several RTI queries on norms for Padma awards. Now, on the basis of the norms prescribed by the Centre, the state government has issued guidelines on submitting nominations to the Union government." ," he said.
As per the existing practice, names submitted by district collectors, NGOs and individuals are examined by a committee headed by the protocol minister and later, once it is approved by the chief minister, the list is submitted to the Centre. "We have been following the same procedure for several years, but for the first time, we have asked the collectors to scrutinize the recommendations received by them at the district level and then submit the list of eligible persons it to the state government," he the official said.
Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of higher order and Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service. As per the norms prescribed by the Centre, while submitting the recommendations, the state government must ensure that the nominee has excelled in one of the 10 identified fields; nominees from the SC\ST, backward class, handicapped, weaker section and women should be considered; by and large, no recommendation should be made for posthumous award and if a person has been awarded Padma Shri, his name should not be recommended for a higher award - Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan, at least for the next five years. "The Centre found that in several cases, Padma Shri recipients were found in the list for consideration for Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan," said the official.
Secondly, the official said it will be the responsibility of the district collector to ensure that he submits the list of only those persons, who are eligible for consideration for the Padma awards.
The Centre has made it clear that no advertisements should be issued for inviting nominations for the Padma awards. "Now we know the norms for nomination and the procedure for selection of the nominees.
The entire procedure, along with the forms and categories is available with the government and its website," he said.
On the categories, the official said, the awards are given in the field of art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and human rights, wild life protection, conservation and propagation of Indian culture.
A senior state government official on Saturday said, it was possible owing to enactment of the right to information Act.
"There were several RTI queries on norms for Padma awards. Now, on the basis of the norms prescribed by the Centre, the state government has issued guidelines on submitting nominations to the Union government." ," he said.
As per the existing practice, names submitted by district collectors, NGOs and individuals are examined by a committee headed by the protocol minister and later, once it is approved by the chief minister, the list is submitted to the Centre. "We have been following the same procedure for several years, but for the first time, we have asked the collectors to scrutinize the recommendations received by them at the district level and then submit the list of eligible persons it to the state government," he the official said.
Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of higher order and Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service. As per the norms prescribed by the Centre, while submitting the recommendations, the state government must ensure that the nominee has excelled in one of the 10 identified fields; nominees from the SC\ST, backward class, handicapped, weaker section and women should be considered; by and large, no recommendation should be made for posthumous award and if a person has been awarded Padma Shri, his name should not be recommended for a higher award - Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan, at least for the next five years. "The Centre found that in several cases, Padma Shri recipients were found in the list for consideration for Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan," said the official.
Secondly, the official said it will be the responsibility of the district collector to ensure that he submits the list of only those persons, who are eligible for consideration for the Padma awards.
The Centre has made it clear that no advertisements should be issued for inviting nominations for the Padma awards. "Now we know the norms for nomination and the procedure for selection of the nominees.
The entire procedure, along with the forms and categories is available with the government and its website," he said.
On the categories, the official said, the awards are given in the field of art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and human rights, wild life protection, conservation and propagation of Indian culture.
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