Legendary singer Asha Bhosale was conferred the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan award for her contribution to the field of art and culture.
The award, for the year 2021, was presented to her at a glittering function at the Gateway of India. It carries a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, a citation and a memento.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hailed Bhosale as the pride of Maharashtra and said her illustrious journey was an inspiration.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was present at the award function. Earlier in the day, members of the Maharashtra Legislative Council objected to the official invite for the event not having the name of Council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe.
Congress’ Bhai Jagtap and NCP’s Shashikant Shinde said such an oversight was happening for the first time and must be protested, while Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sachin Ahir said Gorhe’s name was not included intentionally.
The Maharashtra Bhushan award was instituted when the Shivsena- BJP alliance came to power in 1995. It was initially conferred to personalities in the fields of Literature, Sports and Science, before being expanded to include those from Social Work, Journalism, Public Administration and Health Services.