At current, the Padma Awards are introduced after consent is taken from the proposed awardees. Many on the record, nevertheless, decline to simply accept the honour after the record is made public. (Representative picture/PTI)
Whenever an award is given, the consent of the recipient should be taken, in order that he/she doesn’t return it due to political causes as it’s disgraceful to the nation, the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has advisable in a report tabled in Parliament
Recipients of presidency awards ought to be made to offer their written consent and signal an endeavor earlier than the honour is bestowed, a parliamentary committee has proposed to discourage awardees from returning awards at a later date over “political reasons”, a development popularly referred to as ‘award-wapsi’.
The Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture tabled the report titled ‘Functioning of National Akademis and Other Cultural Institution’ in Parliament on Monday. “The Committee suggests that whenever an award is given, the consent of the recipient must be taken, so that he/she does not return it because of political reasons; as it is disgraceful to the country,” mentioned the committee headed by YSRCP’s Vijay Sai Reddy.
Prominent members of the committee are Dr Sonal Man Singh, Manoj Tewari, Chedi Pehelwan, Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Niruaha’, Tirath Singh Rawat, Rajani Patil, Tapir Gao and Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Justifying the proposal, the committee mentioned the Sahitya Academy and different establishments are apolitical organisations which have “no place for politicism”.
“The situations of recipients of awards, given by Akademis (corresponding to Sahitya Akademi Awards), returning their awards in protest of sure political points that are outdoors the ambit of the cultural realms and the autonomous functioning of the involved Akademi… Such inappropriate incidents involving the return of awards undermine the achievements of the opposite awardees and in addition affect the general status and status of the awards (sic),” says the report.
The Committee also questioned the re-engagement of such awardees who joined the Akademi after “insulting it” and advisable that prior concurrence of shortlisted candidates be taken. “A system could also be put in place the place an endeavor is taken from the proposed awardee citing acceptance of the award and that the awardees can’t dishonour the award at any level of time in future.
Awards will not be given with out such an endeavor. In the occasion that the awards are returned, the awardee shall not be thought of for such award within the award sooner or later.”
Most notably, 33 recipients, led by Uday Prakash, Nayantara Sehgal and Ashok Vajapyee, had returned their awards following the 2015 Kalburgi murder case. The practice since then has become a popular tool of protest. The most recent instance was prominent wrestlers threatening to throw their medals in the Ganga during their protest against WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh who faces sexual harassment allegations.
At present, the Padma Awards are announced after consent is taken from the proposed awardees. Many on the list, however, decline to accept the honour after the list is made public.
ArunimaArunima is Editor (Home Affairs) and covers strategic, safety and political affairs. From the Ukraine-Russia War to the India-China stand-off in Lad…Read More
Source: www.news18.com
