Agartala, June 24: In a proud moment for Tripura, the state's renowned personality Naresh Chandra Dev Varma was honoured with 'Padma Shri' on Tuesday.

President Droupadi Murmu, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, presented the honour to Dev Varma for his outstanding contributions in the field of Literature and Education.

He is a well-known personality in the fields of literature, language, culture and social issues in Tripura.

At a very young age, he began writing on Tripuri grammar and related subjects in Kokborok, Bengali, and English. Tripuri, popularly known as Kokborok, is the mother tongue of nearly 15 lakh indigenous people of Tripura. He has undertaken in-depth studies on the language, society and culture of the Tripuri community.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, other ministers and leaders congratulated Dev Varma for this honour.

President of India Droupadi Murmu presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Awards for the year 2026 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.

Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan and Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah.

The Prime Minister on X said that the awards celebrate exceptional service and dedication across diverse fields.

He noted that each awardee represents the best of the nation’s commitment to society.

The Prime Minister said that the life journeys of the awardees inspire countless citizens and remind everyone of the power of hard work and service.

In a post on X, PM Modi said; “Attended the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the Padma Awards were presented. They celebrate exceptional service and dedication across diverse fields. Each awardee represents the best of our commitment to society. Their life journeys inspire countless citizens and remind everyone of the power of hard work and service."