New Delhi: Grovernment open the nomination process to general public to make it transparent and curb the friendly culture of influence and lobbying, so now any Indian can recommend any achiever for the prestigious Padma Awards.

For authencity and accountability, nominators would be required to furnish their Aadhaar details as nominations can be made online.

According to sources, "For the first time, government of India is encouraging the people of India to nominate achievers for the Padma Awards”.

“It is a step towards transforming the national awards into a truly people's award which will no longer remain restricted to elite rulers”, they added.

"Simple online nomination encourages and facilitates all Indian citizens to participate," the sources added.

Already, over 1,700 nominations have been received by the government and the last date of nomination is September 15.