The Odisha government on Wednesday announced to pay Rs 25,000 honorarium to persons who have received Padma awards from the Government of India.
The payments will be made as a mark of recognition of their contribution to the society, from April this year.
In a press release, the government said, “The Padma Awards are the country's proudest civilian honour. This honor is given to individuals who have made the country proud in various fields. Padma awardees have enhanced the glory of Odisha with their talent and service.”
While a lot of people in Odisha have already received Padma awards earlier, four persons received Padma Shri in 2024. They are Gopinath Swain, Bhagbat Padhan, Binod Maharana, and Binod Kumar Pasayat.
Gopinath Swain is a 105-year-old artist from Ganjam district, who has been performing Krishna Leela for over nine decades.
Similarly, Bhagabat Padhan is an exponent of Sabda Nrutya folk dance from Bargarh. He was chosen for the prestigious award for 'expanding the scope of Sabda Nrutya dance to wider platforms and imparting training to diverse groups in the art’.
The Padma Shri, also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan.