PM’s yoga guru Dr HR Nagendra and journalist, S Gurumurthy were part of Padma Awards Committee

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi’s yoga therapist, Dr HR Nagendra, and RSS ideologue and journalist, S Gurumurthy, were part of the eightmember Padma Awards Committee this year, information made public by the home ministry shows. The committee, constituted by the Prime Minister every year, scrutinises all recommendations placed before it and makes its recommendations for approval of the Presiden

A Surya Prakash, former distinguished fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation and now the Prasar Bharti chief, was also part of the panel this year, as per the information, according to which the committee included four private distinguished persons this year.

Bengaluru-based Nagendra, 72, has known Modi for nearly a decade and travels every year to Gujarat to teach yoga to the ministers in the state. He is also chancellor of S-VYASA, the only deemed yoga university in India for carrying on the message of Swami Vivekananda.

The committee also included eminent scientist VS Arunachalam, a former chief of DRDO, and distinguished neuroscientist Professor PN Tandon – both of whom have been earlier conferred the Padma Vibhushan as well as the Padma Bhushan.