Four people, including PT Usha, were nominated to the Rajya Sabha

Four people, including PT Usha, were nominated to the Rajya Sabha

On 06 July, 2022, President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated former athlete PT Usha, music composer Ilaiyaraaja, Dharmasthala temple philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and Indian screen writer and film director V. Vijayendra Prasad to the Rajya Sabha. The tenure of all will be 6 years.

PT Usha (Kerala)

Kerala's star athlete and popularly known as the flying fairy. In 1980, at the age of 16, she participated in the Olympics in Moscow. She became the first Indian female athlete to reach the final of the 1984 Olympics. She won four gold medals in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. She was given the Arjuna Award in 1983. In 1985, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honor.

Ilaiyaraaja (Tamil Nadu)

Ilaiyaraaja has composed more.than seven thousand songs. Along with this, he has been a part of more than 20 thousand music concerts. Ilaiyaraaja is also known as Sangeet Gyani.

He is known for combining Indian folk music and traditional.instruments with Western cultural music techniques. He has been honored with Padma Bhushan in.2010 and Padma Vibhushan in 2018. He has also received five National Film Awards.

V. Vijayendra Garu (Andhra Pradesh)

From South Cinema to Bollywood, V. Vijayendra Garu has written scripts for many films. He has written the story of films like Baahubali, RRR, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Rowdy Rathod, Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi and Marshall. He has also received the Filmfare Award for Best Story for Bajrangi Bhaijaan in 2016. Apart from this, he has also directed films like Ardhangini, Raanjhanaa and Srivalli.

D Veerendra Heggade (Karnataka)

D Veerendra Heggade is the philanthropist of the Dharmasthala Temple in Karnataka. He is known for his social work. He has carried forward the 600-year-old tradition of the Jain community. He teaches 30,000 students every year in 400 high schools and primary teachers affiliated with Dharmasthala to spread naturopathy, yoga and moral education.

Nomination to the Rajya Sabha

Article 80 of the Indian Constitution provides for the constitution of the Rajya Sabha. The maximum number of members of Rajya Sabha can be 250, but at present this number is 245. Out of these, 12 members are nominated by the President from the fields related to literature, science, art and social service.