Shinzo Abe, SP Balasubrahmanyam Among Padma Vibhushan Recipients

Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan award this year

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and music legend SP Balasubrahmanyam have been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in India, the government announced today. Celebrated singer SP Balasubrahmanyam was conferred the honour posthumously. He died in a Chennai hospital last year after almost two months of treatment.

Former chief minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi and former union minister Ram Vilas Paswan have also been awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award posthumously. Former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan has also been conferred the Padma Bhushan.

Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag thanked the government for the award and tweeted in Hindi that the honour was given for his father's "impeccable political career of 51 years."

Veteran playback singer KS Chithra has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan as well.

The Padma awards were announced this evening by the government honouring 119 prominent personalities from various fields like sports, medicine, art, literature and others for their distinguished work. The awards are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

102 people have been honoured with the Padma Shri this year which includes renowned musician Bombay Jayashri and six sportspersons.

Veteran table tennis player Mouma Das was among the six sportspersons awarded the Padma Shri.

Besides Ms Das, P Anitha, Madhavan Nambiar, Sudha Hari Narayan Singh, Virender Singh, and KY Venkatesh have also been awarded the prestigious award for their achievement in sports.

Odisha sculptor Sudarshan Sahoo, Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and archaeologist BB Lal are also among the Padma Vibhushan awardees.

BJP president JP Nadda said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that "heroes from diverse walks of life are honoured".

"We take pride in their magnanimous contribution to the society," he said.

The Padma Vibhushan was conferred to 7 awardees and the Padma Bhushan to 10 this year. 29 women and a transgender are among the Padma awardees. Sixteen people have been given the award posthumously.

Every year, the awardees are announced on the eve of Republic Day. The Padma awardees are felicitated by the President of India.