Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind presented four Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and sixty-one Padma Shri Awards for the year 2020, on Monday at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
From Odisha, eminent litterateur, late Manoj Das received the Padma Bhushan award (posthumously) for his contribution to the field of literature. President Kovind awarded Padma Shri to Shashadhar Acharya for Art. “He is a renowned Chhau dance performer. Recipient of several awards and honors, Acharya has numerous new choreographies and dance compositions to his credit.” Similarly, Odisha’s Binapani Mohanty, Dr. Damayanti Beshra and Dr. Prasanta Kumar Pattanaik received the Padma Shri award for their contributions towards literature and education.
Bata Krushna Sahoo was awarded Padma Shri for Animal Husbandry. “He is known as ‘Bata Babu’, a fish farmer of excellence. He is an innovative farmer & social worker motivating farmers to practice aquaculture by adopting scientific management practices.” The other recipients of the prestigious award from Odisha include Mitrabhanu Gountia (Art), Manmohan Mohapatra (posthumous Art), Prof. Digambar Behera (Medicine), Professor Radha Mohan (Agriculture), Sabarmatee (Agriculture), and Utsab Charan Das for Art.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were the Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah.
