L K Advani, Ramdev may get Padma awards

NEW DELHI: Former deputy PM L K Advani may soon be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in the country, after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was selected for the Bharat Ratna.

As per the government sources, yoga guru Ramdev and Vedic scholar Prof David Frawley are also in the Padma awards list. Meanwhile, the sports ministry has nominated badminton player Saina Nehwal for a Padma Bhushan as a “special case”, although the last date for making the recommendation was September 15 last year. MHA officials said the government was not dependent on just the sports ministry recommendation to give Nehwal a Padma Bhushan.

“There is also a select committee of bureaucrats which has made its own recommendations to the Awards Committee. So Nehwal’s name may already be in the Padma list.”

In any case, the committee will have to make an exception to confer the award on Nehwal because she got a Padma Sri in 2010 and has not completed the five-year stipulated gap to get the next highest Padma award. As per rules, the panel can make a relaxation only “in deserving cases”.