'Nominating only doctors, HCWs for Padma Awards'

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced that the Delhi government will only be nominating doctors and health workers for the Padma Awards this year — in honour of their roles in saving lives during the pandemic.

"The Covid-19 pandemic led to immense pressure on our frontline workers; they have made countless sacrifices during the medical crisis. The Delhi government has taken this measure to showcase their gratitude and honour their services during this period," the chief minister said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his digital press conference said, "Now is the time to tell our doctors and healthcare workers how much we are grateful to them and how much we respect them. Every year the country honours a select few with the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Awards; the Central government gives these awards to those people who have showcased excellent work in their field."

The Delhi government has thus started seeking nominations for the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan & Padma Vibhushan awards. A 'Search and Screening Committee' has been formed to be headed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and this committee will decide the final list of nominations.

Kejriwal said, "We want the people of Delhi to come forward and tell us the names of doctors and healthcare workers who the Delhi government should nominate. The people of Delhi are the ones who actually know the most about the dedication and hard work of our doctors."

The CM announced that the Delhi government had set up an email id to receive nominations — [email protected]. The final list will be decided upon by the 'screening and search committee'. The last date to send in nominations to the Centre is September 15, so the Delhi government has said it will close its request for nominations on August 15.

Anyone can choose to nominate a doctor or a healthcare worker who they think deserves this award for their services during the Covid-19 pandemic. The nomination should come with a description of why they think the person deserves this award. CM Kejriwal said, "Time to honour the medical community who saved our lives."

The chief minister said, "The Covid-19 pandemic made many of our frontline workers suffer through long intense hours in the Covid wards, they were subjected to various new challenges and have been the backbone of this country all this while."

He expressed his gratitude to the healthcare workers by stating, "I know many doctors and healthcare workers who did not go home for days. They gave everything they could to save lives and to serve people."