Four people from France received Padma Shri awardees this year, the highest from any foreign country. The move also underscores the strength of India-France relations, official sources said.

The announcement of the Padma awards coincided with the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron in India to serve as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade.

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, has approved a total of 132 Padma awards, comprising 17 Padma Bhushan honours and 110 Padma Shri awards. The awardees include 30 women, and the list features eight individuals who are foreigners, non-resident Indians, people of Indian origin, or hold overseas citizenship of India.

Those from France who received the honour include 100-year-old yoga exponent Charlotte Chopin and Kiran Vyas (79), a global yoga and Ayurveda practitioner. The other two are Pierre Sylvain Filliozat (87), a Sanskrit scholar dedicated to advancing Indian culture studies and Fred Negrit, an Indologist fostering great awareness and appreciation of Indian culture, according to government citations.

All four of them have been bestowed with the Padma Shri.

With inputs from agencies.