Agartala, Jan 25, 2023, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Agartala, Jan 25: It’s a proud moment for Tripura. Two eminent personalities from the state have been awarded prestigious Padma Shri.

As announced by the Centre on Wednesday, ex-minister and veteran Janajati leader Narendra Chandra Debbarma (Posthumous) has been awarded in the category- Public Affairs while Bikram Bahadur Jamatia has been honoured for his exemplary contributions in the field of Social Work.

NC Debbarma, who passed away recently, would always be remembered for his people-oriented politics. He always worked for the well-being of the people, particularly for the Janajati section. The Centre’s decision to award Padma Shri to Debbarma is an honor to the Janajati community.

Eminent social activist Jamatia was the "Akraa" (priest) of "Jamatia Hoda", a centuries-old body which works for socio-economic and educational aspects of Jamatia tribe.

A retired Tripura government official, Jamatia had played a very courageous and significant role against the violent activities of four-and-a-half decades old terrorism in Tripura. Both of them made rich contributions to Tripura’s progress.

According to a PIB Press Release, Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

These Awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year.

For the year 2023, the President has approved conferment of 106 Padma Awards including 3 duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one).

The list comprises 6 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 91 Padma Shri Awards. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 2 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 7 Posthumous awardees.