Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley given Padma Vibhushan posthumously

Former external affairs minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart Sushma Swaraj, former finance minister Arun Jaitley and 117 other eminent personalities were conferred the Padma Vibhushan awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

Both the BJP leaders were given the Padma Vibhushan posthumously and their respective family members collected them on their behalf.

While Sushma Swaraj's daughter Bansuri accepted the award from President Ram Nath Kovind, Jailtey's award was presented to his wife Sangeeta.

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, singer Adnan Sami and badminton player PV Sidhu were among those who received one of the highest civilian honours in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and external affairs minister S Jaishankar were present at the ceremony.

The Padma Awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. They are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service).

The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved. This year, as many as 119 Padma Awards are being presented by the President.

The list comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri Awards. Twenty nine of the awardees are women, 16 posthumous awardees and one transgender awardee.