CHENNAI: Governor RN Ravi on Saturday claimed that the Padma awards, which were given on the basis of recommendations in the past, were now bestowed in a transparent manner under the Union government.

While felicitating the Padma awardees from TN, he added: “Earlier, those who were of service to society were invisible. However, things have changed and it’s much more transparent.”

Stating that earlier the Padma awardees were picked up by the Home Ministry, the governor pointed out, “The jury comprising eminent persons is not the part of government anymore. Application and selection process of the Padma awards is also through an online process, which ensures that the awards will go to the right persons.”

During the function, Ravi lauded the services of the persons from Tamil Nadu, who received Padma awards for 2025. However, actor Ajith Kumar, one of the recipients this year, was unable to attend the event. Indian cricketer R Ashwin, RG Chandramogan from trade and industry and Seeni Viswanathan, the scholar who compiled poet Subramania Bharathi’s works in 16 volumes, were unable to participate due to “unavoidable reasons”, sources from Raj Bhavan added.