New Delhi, March 31 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee Monday presented the prestigious civilian awards, the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
India's second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan was presented to scientist Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, while actor Kamal Haasan and former badminton player Pullela Gopichand were among the 12 who received the Padma Bhushan awards.
A total of 53 Padma Shri awards were presented by the president and the awardees included actor Vidya Balan and fashion designer Wendell Rodricks.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Minister for Home Affairs Sushilkumar Shinde.