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Shashi Shekhar Vempati, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Prasar Bharati, is being conferred the Padma Shri in recognition of his contribution to public broadcasting, media reforms, and digital policy in India.
Vempati currently serves as an Independent Director on the board of BharatGen Technology Foundation. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and is currently the Co-founder of DeepTech for Bharat Foundation (AI4India). Speaking to ANI, he expressed his gratitude for the honour recieved. "This is a humbling moment for me. Prime Minister Modi is an inspiration for all of us. This honour can serve as an inspiration for everyone to contribute towards the resolve he has taken for the Viksit Bharat," he said. Meanwhile, the Centre has also conferred the Padma Shri award on Author Ashok Kumar Haldar for his outstanding contributions in the field of Literature and Education. Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award of the country. Speaking to ANI, Haldar said, "The selection they made was the right selection. In writing, in literary service, I have been working for 30 years. I am happy that the fruit of my hard work has been given to me." Additionally, former Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) vice-chancellor K Ramasamy was also honoured with Padma Shri Speaking with ANI, K Ramasamy said, "It is not only me. No individual works for an award. We work on our consciousness. If your consciousness-based work culture is within you, awards will come automatically. However, I sincerely thank the Prime Minister and Home Minister for giving me this chance to work in the Agriculture Ministry." "I sincerely thank all our farmers and colleagues who worked with me as teachers, researchers, and farm workers. I sincerely thank everyone for this award. They are sharing this award. It is not only me," he added. President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday approved the conferment of 131 Padma awards, including two duo cases counted as single awards, and Bollywood actor Dharmendra Singh Deol and former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan as recipients of the Padma Vibhushan posthumously. The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards, recognising distinguished service across a wide range of fields. 90 awardees are wome,n and the list includes 6 persons from the categories of foreigners, NRI, PIO, and OCI, and 16 posthumous awardees, according to a government statement. The Padma Vibhushan awardees include actor Dharmendra Singh Deol (posthumous) for Art from Maharashtra; former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas for Public Affairs from Kerala; violin maestro N Rajam for Art from Uttar Pradesh; eminent Malyalam journalist P Narayanan for Literature and Education from Kerala; as well as veteran left leader and former Kerala CM Achuthanandan (posthumous) for Public Affairs. (ANI)
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