Padma Bhushan News

Ram Sutar has been chosen for Maharashtra Bhushan, the state government's highest civilian award, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the legislative assembly on Thursday. Sutar, who turned 100 last month, is a Padma Bhushan awardee and has designed the Statue of Unity which is the world's tallest statue with a height of 182 metres. Fadnavis said the decision to honour Sutar with the highest civilian award of the state was taken unanimously by a committee headed by him on March 12. «He is a centenarian but is still working on the Ambedkar statue at the Indu mill memorial project in Mumbai,» he said. The award comprises Rs 25 lakh and a memento. Sutar, who works with his son Anil, has been associated with many major projects like the Statue of Unity, the 251-metre tall statue of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, 153-feet high statue of Lord Shiva in Bengaluru and a 100-feet tall statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Moshi in Pune.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The annual Padma awards list offers a useful peek into India’s evolution from a newly independent nation in the 1950s to a country that, in the 21st century, increasingly celebrates entrepreneurs alongside artistes and cultural icons. Over the decades, however, scientists and doctors who helped drive modern India’s innovation have steadily lost ground, with a shrinking presence among awardees.

Bureaucratic Caste System', former IAS officer and Padma Bhushan recipient M N Buch likened India's bureaucracy to caste hierarchy: IAS as brahmins, IPS kshatriyas, general bureaucracy as vaishyas, and teachers and scientists as shudras. This unwritten 'caste system' was debated in the Supreme Court this week when a challenge to the MP government's 2024 order on performance appraisal reports (PAR) for forest officers came up. The order mandates district-level forest officers — divisional forest officers, conservators and chief conservators — be appraised by district magistrates (DMs) and divisional commissioners (DCs), both IAS officers. MP forest officers contend IAS officials lack technical expertise to judge them.

Prashanth Prakash, who was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri said on Sunday that the award recognises critical role that startups and the technology sector have played in nation-building, and he feels honoured to be chosen for it. The recognition — in the category of trade and industry — underscores Prakash's invaluable contributions to shaping India's entrepreneurial ecosystem and his impactful work in philanthropy.

affordable healthcare and empower people to lead healthier and more fulfilled lives, said Zydus Lifesciences Chairman Pankaj R Patel who has been selected for the prestigious Padma Bhushan award. The government announced the Padma Awards on Saturday on the eve of the 76th Republic Day. President Droupadi Murmu approved conferment of 139 Padma Awards for the year 2025. The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards.

Saira Banu, after nearly 30 years of marriage, drawing attention to his immense wealth. Recognized as one of India’s most influential and highest-earning musicians, Rahman has an estimated net worth of Rs 1,728 crore to Rs 2,000 crore, as reported by DNA and other outlets. Dubbed the country’s richest male singer, he charges a staggering Rs 3 crore per song and is considered the highest-paid music composer in India, earning up to Rs 10 crore per film. Rahman’s fortune stems from a diverse range of endeavors, including scoring films, creating original music, global concert tours, brand endorsements, and entrepreneurial ventures. This multifaceted career has secured his place as the wealthiest musician in India. Beyond his financial success, the Oscar-winning maestro is also among the most decorated artists, boasting accolades such as National Film Awards, Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and the prestigious Padma Bhushan. As Rahman and Saira’s separation continues to make headlines, speculation has arisen about whether their divorce could rank among the costliest in the entertainment world. In an official statement, Saira’s lawyer, Vandana Shah, addressed the couple’s decision to part ways.

New Delhi: S.P. Oswal’s ordeal began on the afternoon of 27 August, with an innocuous phone call. It was a pre-recorded message from someone claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Just out of hospital after battling an illness, the unsuspecting 82-year-old Oswal, chairperson of the Ludhiana-based Vardhman Group, pressed 9 when prompted. That keypress was a standard screening procedure by scamsters to ascertain the gullibility of their victims—Oswal, a Padma Bhushan awardee, instantly became a target.

Shriram Group RT Chair in Computational Mechanics’ at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. This initiative is dedicated to supporting cutting-edge research in computational mechanics, encompassing various fields within mechanical, electrical, electronic, computational sciences and quantum mechanics. The appointed Chair– a distinguished faculty member at the associate or full professor level, will focus on pioneering research that applies computational methods to address real-world challenges. “Areas of research will include the development of novel numerical methods, data-driven modelling of physical phenomena, and the exploration of emerging computing paradigms such as quantum computing,” stated an official release by the company. This partnership aims to benefit the academic community and pave the way for practical applications using computational mechanics. Executive Vice Chairman of Shriram Finance, Umesh Revankar said “It is our honour and privilege to collaborate with IISc, one of India’s foremost institutions for scientific research and education. In establishing the Shriram Group RT Chair in Computational Mechanics, we aim to foster innovation and advance knowledge in fields that are critical to both academia and industry.” He added that the initiative underscores the group's commitment to driving progress through research and contributing to India’s academic landscape.

Swadesh Chatterjee has said the community is hesitant to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election as she has not developed a base among them in her previous roles as Senator or the Attorney General of California. A Padma Bhushan awardee of 2001, the Democratic community has created the "Indian Americans for Harris" group and has been campaigning for her not only in the state of North Carolina, where he is based, but is also organising support for the vice president in other battleground states. While accepting that the community is hesitant to vote for her overwhelmingly because they do not know her well, Chatterjee said that Harris, as the Attorney General of California, did not build up an Indian American base and was not a part of any community meetings or any of their events as a Senator. «She did not have that kind of base though she is of Indian origin,» he told PTI in an interview.

S P Oswal, chairperson of the Vardhman Group and a Padma Bhushan awardee, fell victim to a cyber fraud scheme that cost him ₹7 crore. The Ludhiana Police reported that two suspects from Assam and Bengal were arrested after the incident, and ₹5.2 crore was recovered from them. This case marks one of the largest seizures in India's cybercrime history.

grassroots campaign in support of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in key battleground states. Vice President Harris, 59, who is of mixed parentage, her mother immigrated to the US from Chennai and her father moved to the country from Jamaica, is up against Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump, 78. The "Indian Americans for Harris" campaign — launched on Tuesday — aims at ensuring that the presidential elections make history by electing Harris as the first person of Indian heritage to lead the US, according to the group's members. «This is the first time we have someone whose mother is from India. She has got Indian heritage and culture. What she has learned, I felt that we Indian Americans should support her beyond the party line,» North Carolina-based businessman Swadesh Chatterjee told PTI.

has offered about 2,000 acres of land to Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn to set up a 'Foxconn City', similar to its facilities in its home country and China. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are also aggressively courting the company to set up the industrial township. As India's place gets cemented into Foxconn's future plans, here's a look at major expansion announcements made by the company recently: Total investment: Foxconn has invested $1.4 billion in India till date. Chairman Young Liu, a Padma Bhushan awardee, said India is an integral partner for the company and its business here has grown to over $10 billion till 2024.

Foxconn is working on plans to set up a Battery Energy Storage System unit in India, its chairman Young Liu said here. With an eye on the electric vehicle segment, Foxconn has been expanding its battery manufacturing business, with the first plant already set up in Taiwan. Liu told PTI that Foxconn's information and communication technology segment has just started in India. «We are also waiting to put our 3+3 future industry in India. I have been talking to the minister for industries here about how can we collaborate on BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) in Tamil Nadu...,» Liu said.

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn is looking to move up the value chain to go beyond smartphones and make products for sectors like information and communication technology (ICT), electric vehicles (EV), batteries as part of their EV strategy and digital health in its next phase of growth in India, its chairman Young Liu told ET on Saturday. “Foxconn is very well known for its vertical integration capabilities. Definitely, we want to move up on the value chain as much as we can in India. That’s what we will be doing in the ICT sector,” Liu said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the company’s massive industrial housing project in Sriperumbudur. “For sectors other than ICT, we think (we will focus on) EVs and energy and also the digital health industry, like wearables for personal use, home use type of medical devices,(and) in hospitals you can have cloud-based digital health systems,” he added. In the case of energy, Foxconn is looking to target batteries, which will be related to its larger EV strategy. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) will play a “very big part” in the company’s strategy as it makes “a lot of impossible things possible,” he said.

India so far and plans more investment in the coming year, its Chairman Young Liu said on Saturday. Liu, a Padma Bhushan awardee, said that during his current visit he met various chief ministers and feels that India is on the rise. «So far, till last year, we have done USD 10 billion. We will do much more in this coming year,» Liu told PTI. He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the company's women-only residential complex near Foxconn's plant here.

R N Agarwal, regarded as the father of Agni missiles in the country, passed away here. He was 84. Agarwal, a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, died on Thursday following mild old-age related ailments, DRDO sources said. He had served as the Agni programme director and also as the director of ASL (Advanced Systems Laboratory) in Hyderabad.

Congress leaders on Sunday condoled former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh's demise with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing his profound contribution to India's diplomacy and external affairs. Singh passed away on Saturday night after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 93. He breathed his last at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram near Delhi, where he had been admitted for the past couple of weeks, they said. «Our deepest condolences on the passing away of Former Union Minister, Shri K. Natwar Singh ji. An acclaimed intellectual and a Padma Bhushan recipient, he made a profound contribution to India's diplomacy and external affairs,» Kharge said in a post on X.

India's former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh passed away late Saturday in Gurugram at the age of 93 after a prolonged illness. Singh, Congress veteran, was born in Bharatpur, Rajasthan in 1931. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1984. Singh, who was the foreign minister in UPA-I and also served as India's Ambassador to Pakistan besides holding other senior diplomatic positions. Singh worked in former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's office from 1966 to 1971 as a civil services officer before joining the Congress in the 80s and becoming a minister in the Rajiv Gandhi Cabinet.

Kamal Hasan said in a post on X in Tamil.Social media platforms remained flooded with influential people across industries wishing Ilaiyaraaja and Mani Ratnam sweet wishes on their birthdays. The users highlighted their crucial contribution to the Indian film industry and cherished their rich legacy.

Also Read: Viral video: BSF Jawan roasts papad in sand amid severe heatwave; netizens reactBachendri Pal became the first female Indian mountaineer to climb Mount Everest successfully on May 23, 1984. She was born on 24 May 1954.

Vaghul, the banker who sowed the seeds of financial conglomerate ICICI, passed away today. He was 88. He was on the ventilator for the last two days at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, in critical condition. He was admitted to hospital after he fell and was unconscious, his family member told ET.