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 orgsed by Swarna Bharat Trust here.
Sindhu is a recipient of Padma Bhushan the other two were awarded Padma Shri recently. Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President lauded their achievements in their respective fields.
An official release said that the felicitation was meant to give inspiration to others to emulate the three Padma awardees.
"It is the recognition of their merit," Naidu said and added that recognising and respecting the talent is part of Indian culture.
Naidu also inaugurated a medical camp and expressed concern over the rising incidences of non-communicable diseases in the country.
He and urged the doctors and the media to create awareness among the people, particularly the youth 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.
Observing that programmes like Fit India, Yoga and Swachh Bharat Mission were meant to ensure good health and hygiene for all, Naidu called upon the youth to adopt these programmes and turn them into people's movements.
He urged the youth not to support those indulging in violence and asked them to develop a positive and constructive attitude in life.
Referring to 'Reform-Perform-Transform' slogan given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naidu asked the youth to work towards the transformation of the country in all spheres.
Certificates were also distributed to the trainees who completed their courses at Swarna Bharat Trust on the occasion.
( With inputs from ANI )