Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates were chosen for Padma Bhushan award this year under the social work category. Former Infosys board member T.V. Mohandas Pai and Indian American economist Nandrajan Raj Chetty have been selected for Padma Shri under trade and industry discipline. L.K. Advani, Amitabh Bachchan, thespian Dilip Kumar and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were chosen for this year’s Padma Vibhushan. A Press Trust of India report.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates, who are also big philanthropists, were chosen for Padma Bhushan award this year under the social work category.

In the trade and industry discipline, Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan, whose domicile is France/UK, has been selected for Padma Vibhushan award, India’s second highest civilian honor.

Former Infosys board member T.V. Mohandas Pai and Indian American economist Nandrajan Raj Chetty have been selected for Padma Shri under trade and industry discipline.

Ashok Gulati, former chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), also gets Padma Shri in the public affairs category, according to an official statement.

Billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates in 2000 set up Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works in areas such as poverty, health and education. In developing countries, the foundation focuses on improving peoples’ health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty.

Chetty is the youngest tenured faculty in the history of Harvard’s economics department. He had joined the Department at the age of 29.

(Clockwise from top left): File photos of BJP veteran L.K. Advani, senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and legendary actor Dilip Kumar who will be conferred upon the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award as announced by the Indian government, Jan. 25. (Press Trust of India)
(Clockwise from top left): File photos of BJP veteran L.K. Advani, senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and legendary actor Dilip Kumar who will be conferred upon the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award as announced by the Indian government, Jan. 25. (Press Trust of India)

L.K. Advani, Amitabh Bachchan, thespian Dilip Kumar and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were chosen for this year’s Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honor, as government gave a saffron touch, honoring eminent people of various fields in this year’s list of Padma awardees.

Eminent lawyer K.K. Venugopal, D. Veerendra Heggade of the famous Dharmasthala Jain temple in Karnataka, and eminent nuclear scientist M.R. Srinivasan were also chosen for Padma Vibhushan.

Former CEC N. Gopalaswami was selected for Padma Bhushan in the list of 104 people whose names were released on the eve of Republic day.

This list comprises nine Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri awardees. 17 of them were women and an equal number were in the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and four posthumous awardees.

Former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C. Kashyap, journalists Rajat Sharma and Swapan Dasgupta, eminent lawyer Harish Salve, cardiologist Ashok Seth, Indian-American mathematician Manjul Bhargava were also in the list of Padma Bhushan awardees. Hindi journalist Ram Bahadur Rai has been chosen for Padma Shri.

Hindu religious leader Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya (Padma Vibhushan), Swami Satyamitranand Giri (Padma Bhushan), both from Uttar Pradesh, Shivakumara Swami of Karnataka (Padma Bhushan) and Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja of Portugal (Padma Shri) and former NCERT Director J.S. Rajput (Padma Shri) also figure in this year’s list.

Late Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin has been chosen for Padma Shri.

Eminent Carnatic musician Sudha Ragunathan, wrestling coach Satpal, Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua, David Frawley (Vamadeva) of the United States, Saichiro Misumi of Japan, scientist S. Arunan were in the Padma Bhushan list.

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, economist Bibek Debroy, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, who helped BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign, sports personality Saba Anjum, one of the founders of Infosys T.V. Mohandas Pai, badminton player P.V. Sindhu, woman cricketer Mithali Raj, Gujarati writer Tarak Mehta were given Padma Shri.

Cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma, who was best known as the creator of “Chacha Chaudhary” has been selected for Padma Shri posthumously.

Badminton star Saina Nehwal and boxer Vijendra Singh, who sought Padma awards have been ignored.

The award will be given at a function later in the year.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan said he is honored to be chosen for the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of the country, and overwhelmed by the affection of the people.

The 72-year-old national award-winning actor, who is also the recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree, said he has no words to express his gratitude.

“The Government of India has decorated me today with the highest Padma Award of the country, the Padma Vibhushan … I have no words to express my gratitude to the powers that be and am most humbled and overwhelmed by the generosity of the people that decide or sit on judgement on this …” Bachchan posted on his blog.

The Shamitabh star said with this honor, they now have seven such awards of the highest national acclaim in his family.

“My Father : Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan. Jaya: Padma Shree, Aishwarya : Padma Shree, AB: Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan. In one family this must be perhaps the only reference or case in the country,” Bachchan wrote.

The actor thanked his fans for making him what he is today.

“I feel blessed and honored, fortunate and humbled, overwhelmed and submerged by the affection and love of the people,” Bachchan said.