Anupam Kher, Vinod Rai among those being considered for Padma awards

Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General who questioned the 2G spectrum and coal mining licenses awarded by the UPA government, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and superstar Rajnikanth are among those being considered for the Padma awards to be announced on Republic Day eve next week.

Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General who questioned the 2G spectrum and coal mining licenses awarded by the UPA government, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and superstar Rajnikanth are among those being considered for the Padma awards to be announced on Republic Day eve next week.

Former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai(PTI File Photo)

Also on the government’s list of eminent personalities whose contribution could be recognised are actors Anupam Kher and Priyanka Chopra as well as Piyush Pandey, the award-winning ad-man who played a crucial role in scripting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s successful campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha general elections. Pandey is executive chairman and creative director for Ogilvy & Mather India and South Asia.

A former chairman of the censor board, Kher was honoured with the Padma Sri in 2004.

A home ministry official refused to comment on the names, pointing that a shortlist had been submitted for the Prime Minister’s nod and was yet to be approved.