Padma Awards: PM Modi meets Sanjeev Bikhchandani; discusses startups & employment

At the Padma Awards, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Entrepreneur Sanjeev Bikhchandani. The Businessman, who is the founder and vice-chairman of Naukri.com, took to his Twitter handle to post about the meet with PM Modi along with a picture of the duo. He wrote, "After the ceremony, PM @narendramodi met the awardees and had a nuanced conversation with each - no aides or papers. He knew each person. He told me he was bullish on start-ups. And was happy at the bounce back in employment and hiring as reflected in the Naukri Jobspeak Index."

Padma Awards: PM Modi meets Sanjeev Bikhchandani and discusses startups, employment

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Padma Shri award to Businessman Sanjeev Bikhchandani for Trade and Industry. The businessman founded Info Edge India Limited and is well-known for investing in potential online start-ups. Bikhchandani is the co-founder of Ashoka University and the founder and executive vice-chairman of Info Edge, which owns Naukri.com, a job portal. In January 2020, he received the Padma Shri Award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour. Bikhchandani is also active in the country's philanthropic community. With a net worth of approximately 2.1 billion dollars, he is listed at 68 in Forbes India Rich List 2020.

Padma Awards 2021

In 2021, 119 Padma awards were presented to deserving individuals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a ceremony to honour the honourees could not be organised in 2020. On Sunday, the Indian government announced that four separate ceremonies honouring Padma award recipients would be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 8 and 9. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Padma awards to a number of people on Monday, including shuttler PV Sindhu, footballer Oinam Bembem Devi, musician Pandit Channulal Mishra, and journalist Lalbiakthanga Pachuau.

Padma Awards 

The Government of India gives the Padma awards to recognise "works of distinction" in a variety of sectors, including art, literature, and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, and trade and industry. The Padma awards are presented in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, and are announced on the eve of Republic Day every year. The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. Since 2014, the government has given Padma awards to citizens who have made significant contributions to society in various ways.

Image: Twitter/@sbikh