10 foreigners among Padma awardees

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 25

Of 153 national civilian awards announced on Tuesday, 10 went to foreigners, including five of Indian origin. While no foreigner got the Padma Vibhushan, four foreigners, all of them of Indian origin, were awarded the Padma Bhushan. There were six foreigners in the third category of Padma Shri awards, including a former Ambassador of Poland to India.

While Satya Narayana Nadella, Sundararajan Pichai and Madhur Jaffery are well-known Americans of Indian origin who were awarded the second-highest Padma Bhushan, the fourth Sanjaya Rajaram, although not as well-known and who passed away last year, made concrete contribution to the farm sector.

Sanjaya Rajaram was a Mexican scientist who won the 2014 World Food Prize for developing 480 wheat varieties. This innovation led to an increase in global wheat production by over 20 crore tonne. The government had recognised his contribution earlier as well by awarding him the Padma Shri.

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