Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and extended lockdown, the portal for nominations for the Padma awards, the second highest civilian honours in the country and announced on Republic Day, has been made live. The portal has been thrown open for nominations by any individual in a pre-agreed format.
While the portal was made live on May 1, letters inviting nominations have gone out, as per convention, to past Padma Vibhushan awardees, those having received the Bharat Ratna and eminent citizens from various fields. While these awardees have been invited via letters for their nominations, all such nominations have to be docked online, with the portal closing on September 15.
An 800-word description of why the nominee deserves the award is asked for as is certain weightage given to nominations for public service, for women and those belonging to weaker sections, Scheduled Castes and Tribes and Divyang. In the last few years, especially after 2014, the awards have seen many unsung heroes being awarded with Padma awards in a bid to democratise the process.
While the online nomination process has been in place for the past few years, one of the first decisions taken by the Narendra Modi government, this time around it was expected that the pandemic may delay matters. “Since it is an online process, it could be launched on time,” said a government source, adding that he was expecting many nominations from among those who performed public service during the pandemic in terms of helping migrants and running community kitchen and supplying personal protection kits to medical and law enforcement personnel.
