For the first time ever, the government of India has decided to involve the general public in the process of selecting nominees for the prestigious Padma Awards.

In an attempt to transform the national awards into a truly people’s award, the government has invited the people of India to nominate a person of their choice as a nominee for the award.

The nominations can be made online on the URL http://padmaawards.gov.in/. The nominators would be required to furnish their Aadhaar details for authenticity and accountability.

Sources have said that this way, people of excellence who are not well known would also come to light with this step.

The government has already received over 1700 nominations and the last date of nomination is September 15.