Kerala's Padma awards list sparks controversy

The names of Oscar winner Resul Pookutty and eminent Ayurvedic physician P K Warrier, selected for Padma Shri award, had not been recommended to the centre by the Kerala government, according to the state information commission.

Resul Pookutty had made the country proud by winning Oscar in sound-mixing for the film Slumdog Millionaire which also secured two Oscars for music composer A R Rahman.

Only four out of 21 persons recommended by the state government for Padma awards were chosen by the centre, according to a reply received by Human Rights Defence Forum general secretary D B Binu to his query to the State Information Commission.

When contacted, one of the ministers, who was a member of the cabinet sub-committee, said the names of Resul and Warrier had not come before the panel. "If their names had come before the panel, it would have been accepted and there was no deliberate attempt on the part of the government (to overlook their case)," the minister said on condition of anonymity.

Ashtavaidyan E T Narayanan Moos, Lakeshore Hospital managing director Philip Augustine, NRI businessman Ravi Pillai and veteran music director K Raghavan were the persons who were chosen for the Padma awards from state list.Moos was recommended for a Padma Shri by the state, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan

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