Six eminent personalities from Odisha have been selected for the prestigious Padma Awards 2022. While Pratibha Ray has been conferred with Padma Bhushan in the field of Literature and Education, ace para-shuttler Pramod Bhagat and four others have been selected for the prestigious Padma Shri title. Srimad Baba Balia, Pramod Bhagat, Aditya Prasad Dash, Shyamamani Devi, Narasingha Prasad Guru will also be receiving the Padma Shri.Prativa Ray is an eminent writer of Odia-language novels and stories. For her contribution to the Indian literature, Ray received the Jnanpith Award in 2011. She was the first woman to win the Moortidevi Award in 1991.Ace para-athlete Pramod Bhagat has been honoured with Padma Shri under the sports category. Pramod became the first Indian to ever win a gold medal in badminton at Tokyo Paralympics last year. The ace athlete was conferred with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in October 2021.Srimad Baba Balia has been bestowed with the prestigious award in social work category. His works ongoing as environment protection, gender equality, organ donation, and fight against social evils. protecting Odia art and culture.Srimad Baba Balia said that “I am overwhelmed for being honoured with the prestigious Padmashree award. This will inspire to continue my social work and fight against social evils.”Aditya Prasad Das will receive the Padma award under Science and Engineering category. Popular singer Shyamamani Devi has been honoured for her contribution in the field of art. Devi said, “I am happy with the prestigious Padmashree award. I will work for the widespread of Odishi Sangeet and sing till the end.”Similarly, Padma Shri will be conferred to Narasingha Prasad Guru for his contribution towards literature and education. “I have been struggling for literature. Finally, the government considered me for the award. This prestigious award has paid back my efforts and dedication towards the betterment of the society. It is really overwhelming for me,” he said.(Report by Satyajit Senapati, Dwibendu Mishra, and Chandrabhanu Molana)Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.