Shimla: Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has congratulated Vidyanand Saraik and Lalita Vakil for being selected for Padma Shri Award for contributions in their respective field.

While congratulating the recipients for being selected for Padam Shri, the Chief Minister said that contribution of these personalities was immense in their respective fields.

Lalita Vakil, hailing from Chamba, has been working for the promotion of Chamba Rumal for the past about 50 years and this award was not just recognition for her but also for the traditional art of Chamba Rumal of Chamba district.

Jai Ram Thakur said that Vidyanand Saraik is a multifaceted personality who has been striving to conserve and revive hilly culture for over five decades. He said that Vidyanand Saraikhas wrote numerous folk songs, naatis and folklores.