This Republic Day is first for the BJP, which formed the government in May last with huge majority, and the names for Padma awards are floating around. The ferocity with which the media went ahead with the publication of its list, forced the government to issue clarification on Friday morning.

The PIB (press information bureau) issued a three-line clarification on its website at about 10.57 am and also tweeted a denial.

Govt has not yet announced Padma Awards-2015. These awards are announced on 25th of January every year, on the eve of Republic Day.

— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 23, 2015

The names appearing in media about Padma Awards-2015 are speculative and there is no official confirmation for the same.

— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 23, 2015

It is well known that Padma awards are announced on the eve of the Republic Day, but in the age of 24X7 media, time gets squeezed.

These awards do not carry any cash rewards; however, they come with a social halo even if one is not encouraged to use it along with the name.

The PIB note with a header “Padma Awards-2015 not yet announced” said: The Government has not yet announced the Padma Awards for the Year 2015. These awards are announced on 25th of January every year, on the eve of the Republic Day. The names appearing in the media are speculative and there is no official confirmation for the same.

We are tempted to join the speculation and bring you some of the names published by various media organizations: In the Padma awards list people like Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, K Advani and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal  are included.

Others range from cultural personalities to scientists to former bureaucrats with BJP leanings.

Sports personalities in the unofficial list are: hockey team captain Sardara Singh, badminton player P V Sindhu, chess grandmaster Sasikiran Krishnan, wrestler Sushil Kumar, his coach Satpal and Arunima Sinha, the first women amputee mountaineer to climb Mount Everest. For the full and final list one has to wait for the government announcement.