The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday felicitated three Padma awardees from Telangana--badminton player PV Sindhu, innovative farmer Chintala Venkat Reddy and well known Sanskrit and Telugu poet Vijayasarathi Sribhashyam--at a function here.
Sindhu is a recipient of Padma Bhushan the other two were awarded Padma Shri by the government recently. Speaking on the event orgsed by Swarna Bharat Trust, Naidu lauded their achievements in their respective fields.
"The felicitation was meant to give inspiration to others. It is the recognition of their merit," he said.
"Recognizing and respecting the talent is part of Indian culture," he added.
Naidu, who also inaugurated a medical camp expressed his concerns over the rising incidences of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country and urged the doctors and the media to create awareness among the people, particularly the youngsters on the need of taking preventive measures.
He pointed out that a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food habits were mainly responsible for NCDs and urged the youth to shun eating junk food and take up physical activity on a daily basis to remain fit.
Naidu said, "Programmes like Fit India, Yoga, and Swachh Bharat Mission were meant to ensure good health and hygiene for all," he said.
He called upon the youth to adopt these programmes and turn them into people's movements.
( With inputs from ANI )