New Delhi: Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella Thursday shared his response on receiving Padma Bhushan this year. He said it was an honour "to be recognized with so many extraordinary people", and thanked President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a Twitter post, Nadella said he was would continue to work with the people of India to "help them use technology to achieve more".
"It’s an honor to receive a Padma Bhushan Award and to be recognized with so many extraordinary people. I’m thankful to the President, Prime Minister, and people of India, and look forward to continuing to work with people across India to help them use technology to achieve more," his post read.
On the eve of the 73rd Republic Day, India conferred the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award, on Nadella, Tata Group Chairperson Natarajan Chandrasekaran, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
Nadella (54), who was born in Hyderabad, became the CEO of Microsoft in February 2014. Since June 2021, he has also been serving as the company's chairman, which is an additional role.
The Padma awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day after the recipients are selected on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee constituted by the prime minister every year.
These awards are given in three categories — Padma Shri for distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of higher-order, and Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service.