New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on Sunday spoke about the Padma awards and awardees.

He said, "This time too, Padma honours have been conferred upon many countrymen who, by connecting with the grassroots, have worked to bring about big changes in the society."

"A lot of curiosity across the country to know about the life journey of these inspiring people has been noticed. Away from media headlines, away from the front pages of newspapers, these people have been engaged in social service without any lime-light. Most of these Padma Award recipients are doing unique work in their respective fields. Like, somebody is providing an ambulance service, while another is arranging a roof over the head for the destitute," the PM added.

He said, "There are some who are engaged in nature conservation efforts by planting thousands of trees. There is also one, who has worked for the conservation of more than 650 varieties of rice. There is one as well who is spreading awareness in the society for the prevention of drug and alcohol addiction. Many people are engaged in connecting people with Self Help Groups, especially the Nari Shakti campaign. Countrymen are also very happy about the fact that 30 of those who received the honour are women. These women are taking the society and the country forward through their work at the grassroots level."

PM Modi said that the contribution of each one of the Padma Awardees is an inspiration for the countrymen. "This time, a large number of people receiving honors are those who are bringing glory to the country in the world of classical dance, classical music, folk dance, theater and bhajans. This honor has also been conferred upon those who have done excellent work in Prakrit, Malvi and Lambadi languages. Many people from abroad have also been honoured with the Padma Award, whose work is lending new heights to Indian culture and heritage. These also include citizens of France, Taiwan, Mexico and Bangladesh."

The PM said, "I am very happy that the system of Padma awards has completely changed in the last decade. Now it has become the People's Padma. There have been many changes in the system of conferring the Padma awards. People even have a chance to nominate themselves now. This is the reason why this time 28 times more nominations have been received compared to 2014. This shows that the prestige of the Padma Award, its credibility and respect for it is rising every year. I once again extend my best wishes to all those receiving the Padma Awards."

"We have seen that some people perform their duties through social service, some by joining the army, some by teaching the next generation, but friends, there are some people among us who even after the end of life, fulfill their responsibilities towards society and life and their medium for that is organ donation. In recent years, there have been more than a thousand people in the country who donated their organs after their death. This decision is not easy, but this decision is a saver of multiple lives," Modi said.

"I would also appreciate those families who respected the last wishes of their near and dear ones. Today, many organisations in the country are also making very inspiring efforts in this direction. Some organisations are making people aware about organ donation, some organisations are helping in registering the people willing to donate organs. Due to such efforts, a positive environment is being created in the country towards organ donation and people's lives are also being saved," the PM added.