Revanth Reddy announces Rs 25 lakh cash prize for Padma awardees; honours Chiranjeevi, Venkaiah Naidu

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced cash awards of Rs. 25 lakh to all Padma Shri Awardees on behalf of the State Government on Sunday at Shilpakala vedika. He also announced a monthly pension of Rs. 25,000 for poets and artists from Telangana who were honored with the Padma Shri award.

Revanth Reddy, at a function organised for the felicitation of Padma award winners at Shilpakala Vedika, said, "It is our responsibility to honor the Padma recipients. Telugu people are ours, regardless of where they live. We planned this program to lay the foundation for a positive tradition, which should be continued."

Also Read: Megastar Chiranjeevi, former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu conferred Padma Vibhushan

Revanth Reddy said that the felicitation of Padma awardees was a non-political event. Celebrating Padma awardees was an acknowledgment of the successful governance by the people. He also expressed hope that Venkaiah Naidu, a symbol of Telugu pride, would ascend to the position of the President of India.

Revanth Reddy said that by honoring Telugu icons Venkaiah Naidu and Megastar Konidela Chiranjeevi for their significant achievements, it essentially amounted to “honoring ourselves.”

Megastar Chiranjeevi said that the felicitation and warm wishes he received upon being chosen for Padma Vibhushan were more exciting than the award itself.

He was thrilled when he had received Padma Bhushan. He said his respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi soared many notches as the Prime Minister had the Padma Shri awards announced first and most of the recipients were drawn from small artists and achievers belonging to weaker sections of the society. The Prime Minister wanted their names of the Padma Shri awardees to be announced first and let the discussion happen around their achievements for over two hours.

Narrating his own experience on the day of announcement of the awards, he said he had waited with bated breath for his name to be announced and at one point in time he grew apprehensive that whether his name was not there in the list. M Venkaiah Naidu, when he had met to greet him, had unveiled the thought process of the Prime Minister.

Former Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said that he never considered awards and honors seriously in his life. He said that the Padma Vibhushan award was announced for him, and he accepted it out of respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also Read: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy attends dinner hosted by Megastar Chiranjeevi

Venkaiah Naidu said, "Congratulating Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, it's a great honor to acknowledge those selected for the Padma awards. The Padma awards were announced to recognise the unrecognised. It is commendable to identify the gems of the soil and bestow these awards. Standards in politics are declining, and it is our duty to change this. Individuals in public life should adhere to values. NTR and ANR are the two eyes of Telugu tinsel town, and Chiranjeevi is the third eye. With perseverance and hard work, anything is possible."

Telangana Government on Sunday honored Padma Award recipients, including Megastar Chiranjeevi and former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, at Shilpakala Vedika. The event also recognised other awardees like Gaddam Sammaiah, Dasari Kondappa, Ananda Chari, Umamaheshwari, Kethavath Somlal, and Kurella Vitalacharya.

Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Jupalli Krishna Rao and other officials also participated in the event.