New Delhi, Jan 26: Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu who has been conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour in the country, has said he was truly humbled by it and dedicated the award to farmers, women, youth and all fellow citizens.

Emphasizing his longstanding commitment, Naidu said, "I am really humbled on the conferment of the second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan by the government. Right from the beginning, in my public life, I have been maintaining values and moving forward with conviction and whatever responsibility I got to be a student leader, youth leader, MLA or MP, party functionary at the state level or national level, minister, rural development, urban development and various other portfolios. I always worked for the welfare of the farmers, women and youth of the country.

To take it forward, I dedicate this award that is being given to me, to the farmers, to the women, the youth of India."

In his acceptance speech, he urged fellow countrymen to unite for the common goal of achieving a self-reliant India. Recognizing the global interest in India, he stressed the importance of maintaining unity and integrity while working towards the nation's self-sufficiency.

"I appeal to all of us, all our friends and fellow countrymen that we should all join together to take the country forward, to make it a self-relevant India at the earliest. The world is looking at India with eagerness, with interest and we Indians should maintain unity, and integrity and work together towards making India Aatmanirbhar," he said.

The former Vice President conveyed sincere thanks to the government and Prime Minister for the conferred honor. Acknowledging the responsibilities associated with the award, Naidu pledged to continue his mission for the overall welfare of the people, assuring the public that he will strive to meet their expectations.

He further said, "This award has put onerous responsibility on me to take my mission forward with all the force I have. I would like to once again thank all the people who have been sending me their wishes since yesterday and I would like to assure them I will try to work to meet their expectations."

Former Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, along with four other recipients, including the late social worker and founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak, were honoured with the country's second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, on the eve of Republic Day.

Popular Indian actress Vyjayantimala Bali; actor, film producer, and former politician Konidela Chiranjeevi; and classical Bharata Natyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam have also been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan on Thursday.

There are 132 names on the list of Padma Awardees this year, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one), as per the list below. The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri Awards. 30 of the awardees are women, and the list also includes 8 persons from the categories of foreign non-resident Indian (NRI), person of Indian origin (PIO), overseas citizenship of India (OCI), and nine posthumous awardees.

(ANI)

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