(Repeating with correction in para three, line three)

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande, Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani, agricultural scientist Dr Norman E Borlaug, film actor A K Hangal and bureaucrat C R Krishnaswamy Rao were among 50 prominent Indians who received this year's coveted Padma Awards from President A P J Abdul Kalam today.

Another 56 personalities, including tennis icon Sania Mirza, will be conferred the Padma awards on March 29. In all, 106 personalities, including three foreigners, have been selected for the Padma Awards, 2006.

Adoor, Dr Borlaug, Mr Rao and Ms Deshpande were conferred the Padma Vibhushan while Bollywood character actor A K Hangal, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan (Art), HDFC chairman rpt HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, writer Dinesh Nandini Dalmia and social worker G P Birla received the Padma Bhusan at the Investiture Ceremony held at the majestic Ashoka Hall this evening.

South Indian melody queen of yesteryears, P Leela, was given the Padma Bhushan posthumously.

Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CEO S Ramadorai, filmmaker Sai Paranjpaye and CII Director General Tarun Das were bestowed the Padma Bhushan while Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy's wife Sudha Murthy and herbal cosmetics queen Shahnaz Husain received the Padma Shri awards.

This year, there are nine winners of the Padma Vibhushan, 36 for Padma Bhushan and 61 for Padma Shri.

Former Supeme Court Chief Justice V N Khare was conferred the Padma Vibhushan along with C R Krishnaswamy Rao (Civil Service), Prof Obaid Siddiqui (Science and Engineering) and Prof Prakash Narain Tandon (Medicine).

Bollywood character actor A K Hangal, defence analyst Air Commodore Jasjit Singh and former Union Minister Shashi Bhushan were also among the winners of the Padma Bhushan.

Raymonds owner Vijaypat Singhania, who last year created a new world record for flying at the highest altitude in a hot air balloon, received the Padma Bhushan in the sports category.

Punjabi writer Ajeet Cour, wildlife conservationist Billy Arjan Singh, badminton player Madhumita Bisht, Hindustani vocalist Madhup Mudgal and senior editors Mrinal Pande and Sucheta Dalal were among the winners in the Padma Shri category.

There were also a few foreign nationals among the awardees this year. Czech litterateur Dusan Zbavitel and Russian writer Gregory Maximovich Bongrad-Levin reveived the Padma Bhushan while Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Abdulla al-Mahmoud of Qatar was conferred the Padma Shri.

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