Paralympian and gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia of Churu and 1978 batch Rajasthan IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi have been conferred Padma Bhushan while another Paralympian Avani Lekhara, scriptwriter Chandraprakash Dwivedi and artist Ram Dayal Sharma have been conferred Padma Shri from Rajasthan.
A total of 128 eminent people were chosen for the awards, including five from the state. The awards were given in three categories — Padma Vibushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Jhajharia is the country’s most successful Paralympian with two golds and a silver to his name in the javelin event.
The next to receive the Padma Bhushan was the decorated retired IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi who served as the chief secretary of the state. He was elevated as the Union finance secretary and moved to the home secretary from August 2015 to August 2017.
