Those who were honoured from the world of business included noted industrialist Brijmohan Lal Munjal (in the picture) of the Hero Group and Azim Premji of Wipro received the Padma Bhushan.
Premji, the richest Indian, did not attend the ceremony.
Other honorees included former national security advisor J N Dixit, who died in January after a distinguished career as a diplomat (Padma Vibhushan), and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Syed Mir Qasim (Padma Bhushan).