India Inc proud of Sanjeev Bikhchandani; Paytm boss, Snapdeal founder say Padma Shri awardee an inspiration

The 2020 Padma Awards, considered as the highest civilian honour, were conferred on Tuesday to recognise the services of various people in their respective fields. The awards ceremony was held in two parts at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented seven Vibhushans, 16 Padma Bhushans and 122 Padma Shri Awards for 2020 in the presence of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Entrepreneur industrialist Sanjeev Bikhchandani was awarded the Padma Shri in the second-half of the ceremony for his work in the field of industry and trade.


The proud Info Edge founder took to Twitter to accept the award on behalf of all his current and past colleagues at the company whose work was recognised through this honour. "I accept this also on behalf of all startups in India," he wrote.


Calling him an inspiration for every entrepreneur in India, Snapdeal co-founder Kuna Bahl said that the Padma Shri award is symbolic of Bikhchandani's success, persistence and mentorship.


After the award ceremony, the 58-year-old internet boss said that PM Modi had a "nuanced conversation" with each awardee and knew each one of them person, without any aides or papers.

In his post alongside an image with the leader, Bikhchandani said that PM Modi is bullish on the Indian start-ups. "(PM Modi) was happy at the bounce back in employment and hiring as reflected in the Naukri Jobspeak Index," he wrote.

Paytm founder Vishal Shekhar Sharma congratulated Bikhchandani and fondly called him the 'YashRaj-of-Indian-Startups'. "You make us all proud at every milestone," his caption concluded.


Founded in 1995, Info Edge is the parent company of job portal Naukri.com, matrimonial portal Jeevansathi.com, a realty classifieds platform 99Acres.com, and educational website Shiksha.com.

Other than heading Info Edge India, Bikhchandani is known for investing in promising internet start-ups, and is involved in philanthropy.