NEW DELHI: As many as 12 farmers — including horticulturists, hi-tech farmers, traditional farmers promoting organic farming and those engaged in animal husbandry — figure among the 112 Padma awardees this year, who were picked from around 50,000 nominations.Sources indicated that with nominations for Padma awards having grown 20 times from 2,200 in 2014, each nominee was profiled based on a scientific evaluation framework involving quality check, scrutiny and expert consultation. Care was taken so that all corners of the nation and all segments of the society were represented, besides choosing candidates in a way that further the Modi government’s efforts to transform the “government awards” into “people’s awards”.“Padma awards 2019 go beyond excellence, recognising larger impact and selfless service,” said a senior government functionary. The list of awardees includes horticulturists Kanwal Singh Chauhan Vallabbhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya and Jagdish Prasad Parikh; farmers who have adopted technology and scientific methods in cultivation like Bharat Bhushan Tyagi, Ram Sharan Verma and Venkateswara rao Yadlapalli; conservators of old, traditional seeds and organic farmers Kamala Pujhari, ‘Kisaan Chachi’ Rajkumari Devi, Babulal Dahiya and Hukumchand Patidar; besides Sultan Singh for fisheries and Narendra Singh for dairy-breeding.The 14 doctors on Padma list are not only the best picks from the country’s premier medical institutions but also ones providing cost-free treatment to the poor and fighting diseases afflicting the common man. While Omesh Kumar Bharti has developed an anti-rabies treatment at 1/10th of the prevailing cost, Sudam Kate is pioneer of sickle cell research working with tribals. Other awardees in the field of medicine include Ramaswami Venkataswami who does post-burns reconstruction surgery; Pratap Singh Hardia, an opthamologist offering free cataract surgeries to poor patients; Tsering Norboo, a surgeon, practising in remote Ladakh; and husband-wife duo Smita and Ravindra Kolhe working for welfare of Korku tribals in Naxal-hit Melghat.The 16 persons honoured for social work include Jyoti Kumar Sinha, a former IPS officer who now teaches children of Mahadalit Musahar community of Bihar; tea-seller Deverapalli Prakash Rao who spends half of his modest income educating slum children; Bastar Band founder Anup Ranjan Pandey who has been propagating the message ‘Banduk-chhodo-dhol-pakdo’; Germany’s Friederike Irina Bruning who runs a cowshed in Mathura; and 106-year-old environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka who has been planting trees for past 65 years.Veteran public figures across communities were honoured this year including socialist Bihar leader Hukum Narayan Yadav, tribal leader from Jharkhand Kariya Munda, Sikh leader S S Dhindsa and lawyer-activist fighting for justice for victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots H S Phoolka. On the Padma Shri list is also K K Mohammed, an archaeologist who was part of the team that excavated the Babri structure site and later stated in his book that a temple had existed there.The 2019 awards also seek to mend the wrongs done to aerospace scientist S Nambi Narayan, who had been framed in the Isro spy case. The Supreme Court had last year awarded him Rs 50 lakh as compensation.Writers have been honoured across languages, including Narsing Dev Jamwal (Dogri), Kailash Madbaiya (Bundeli) and Mohammad Hanif Khan Shastri (Sanskrit). Even in arts and music category, the awardees include regional superstars like Mohanlal, theatre legends Balasaheb Purandare (Marathi theatre) and Dinyar Contractor (Parsi theatre). Folk singers (Teejan Bai, Hiralal Yadav) have been recognised as have those singing for films (Shankar Mahadevan).