Delhi Govt Asks Residents To Recommend Names of Doctors, Healthcare Workers for Padma Awards

The Delhi government will recommend the names of doctors and health workers, who fought against the Covid pandemic, to the Centre for the Padma awards this year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal has asked the public to recommend names of doctors and healthcare workers for Padma awards by August 15. The CM issued an email address 每 padmaawards.delhi@gmail.com 每 where people can forward their recommendations.

Agencies

Process to finalise names

Kejriwal said the names will be picked by a committee led by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia after a consultative process involving the residents of the national capital.

"Once all suggestions are in, the panel will screen the names in the next 15 days, after which the names of the final nominees will be sent to the Centre. The last date to send the nominations to the Centre is September 15. So, we want to do this well in time,§ Kejriwal said.

A doctor attends to a baby who tested positive for Covid-19 coronavirus at a hospital | Photo: AFP/Representational image

※Every year, the nation honours a selected few personalities with the Padma awards. In this regard, the Centre writes to the states, seeking recommendations. This time, the Delhi government has decided to recommend the names of doctors and healthcare workers only,§ Kejriwal said, during a webcast.

"Gesture of gratitude"

※We want the doctors and health workers to be felicitated with the Padma awards in recognition of their work and a gesture of gratitude towards them," Kejriwal said. ※Many doctors and health workers contracted Covid and lost their lives while saving people from the virus. The whole country and humanity is indebted to them," he added.

BCCL

Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award in India, followed by Padma Vibushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Kejriwal had earlier demanded Bharat Ratna for the late Chipko movement leader Sunderlal Bahuguna, as well as doctors and healthcare workers.

The Delhi government is already running a scheme wherein it offers an ex-gratis compensation of ?1 crore to all the healthcare workers and frontline workers who died due to Covid-19 while performing duties related to the pandemic.