New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) Ahead of the 77th Republic Day celebrations, at least 45 people have been chosen for the coveted Padma Awards honour, under the ‘Unsung heroes’ category, for their distinguished and unwavering service to the nation.

Kailashchand, Brij Lal Bhatt, Dr Shyam Sundar and many more are among the noted and distinguished personalities chosen for the honour, those privy to the Pamda Awards list said.

An official announcement to this effect will be made by Sunday evening, said reports.

Unsung heroes are those who serve as the inspirational, key driving force behind any revolutionary change, despite the spotlight evading them.

These individuals have worked rigorously and steadfastly in their respective fields to bring lasting changes and enable a better life for fellow citizens.

The Padma honour will be a celebration of their tireless efforts and unwavering endeavour in ushering this change.

Earlier in the day, close to 1,000 personnel from police, fire, home guard and Civil Defence Services were awarded gallantry and service medals on the eve of Republic Day.

Below is the list of Padma Awardees (As per sources):

Bhagwandas Raikar (Madhya Pradesh)

Bhiklya Ladkya Dhinda (Maharashtra)

Brij Lal Bhatt (Jammu and Kashmir)

Charan Hembram (Odisha)

Chiranjee Lal Yadav (Uttar Pradesh)

Dr Padma Gurmet (Jammu and Kashmir)

Kollakkaiyil Devaki Amma Ji (Kerala)

Mahendra Kumar Mishra (Odisha)

Naresh Chandra Dev Verma (Tripura)

Othuvar Thiruthani (Tamil Nadu)

Raghupat Singh (Uttar Pradesh)

Raghuveer Khedkar (Maharashtra)

Rajastapathi Kalaiyappa Gounder (Tamil Nadu)

Sangyusang S. Pongener (Nagaland)

Shrirang Devba Lad (Maharashtra)

Thiruvarur Bakthavatsalam (Tamil Nadu)

Anke Gowda (Karnataka)

Armida Fernandes (Maharashtra)

Dr Shyam Sundar (Uttar Pradesh)

Gaffaruddin Mewati (Rajasthan)

Khem Raj Sundriyal (Haryana)

Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai (Gujarat)

Mohan Nagar (Madhya Pradesh)

Nilesh Mandlewala (Gujarat)

R & S Godbole (Chhattisgarh)

Ram Reddy Mamidi (Telangana)

Simanchal Patro (Odisha)

Suresh Hanagwadi (Karnataka)

Techi Gubin (Arunachal Pradesh)

Yumnam Jatra Singh (Manipur)

Budhri Tathi (Chhattisgarh)

Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj (Telangana)

Dr Punniyamurthy Natarajan (Tamil Nadu)

Haily War (Meghalaya)

Inderjit Singh Sidhu (Chandigarh)

K. Pazhanivel (Puducherry)

Kailash Chandra Pant (Madhya Pradesh)

Nuruddin Ahmed (Assam)

Pokila Lektepi (Assam)

R. Krishnan (Tamil Nadu)

S.G. Sushilemma (Karnataka)

Taga Ram Bhil (Rajasthan)

Vishva Bandhu (Bihar)

Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya (Gujarat)

Shafi Shauq (Jammu and Kashmir)

The Padma Awards are one of the country’s highest civilian honours announced annually, on the eve of Republic Day.

These awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service).

The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activity or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.

–IANS

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