Haryana invites nominations for Padma awards, to be announced on R-Day, 2024

Kaushal said only those nominations submitted online will be considered and those received after the deadline will not be taken into account.

He added, “In the past, it has been observed that while numerous nominations are received, there may be deserving individuals whose exceptional contributions have been overlooked due to their modesty and lack of public attention. Therefore, it is urged to make concerted efforts in identifying such individuals whose excellence and achievements deserve recognition, and submit suitable nominations on their behalf.”

The letter also said, “The recognition of these deserving individuals will undoubtedly enhance the prestige of the Padma Awards. To facilitate the nomination process, a Special Search Committee can be constituted to identify, consider, and finalize recommendations for nominations.”

Giving details of the criteria to be adopted for selection, Kaushal told the officers concerned, “The recommended individuals should demonstrate exceptional lifetime achievements and must embody the criteria of ‘Excellence Plus’. The highest standards should be applied when recommending individuals for these awards.”

The letter added, “The existence of an element of public service in achievement of a person recommended for award would be a desirable factor. As the Padma Award is the country’s second-highest civilian honour, consideration should be given to whether the recommended person has previously received a National or State award in their respective field.”

It further said, “Efforts should be made to identify talented individuals from various backgrounds, including Women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Divyang persons, etc, who deserve to be considered for the award. The decoration is normally not conferred posthumously. However, in highly deserving cases, the government could consider giving an award posthumously if the demise of the person proposed to be honoured has been recent, say within a period of one year preceding the Republic Day on which it is proposed to announce the award. It is important to note that government servants including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists are not eligible for the Padma Award.”