Indian-origin public service heroes on King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List

<p>London, Jun 14 (PTI): Public service heroes, healthcare and technology experts, artistes and educationists are among over 30 professionals of Indian heritage to be recognised in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List 2025.</p><p>Prem Babu Goyal from the City of London Corporation for public service contributions, Tanuja Randery of Amazon Web Services for services to business and tech sector and Professor Jagtar Singh from the National Health Service (NHS) in Coventry and Warwickshire for services to the NHS lead the charge as Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).</p><p>Former England football captain David Beckham receives a Knighthood for services to sport and charity in the annual list released on Friday night to coincide with the 76-year-old British monarch’s official birthday celebrations this weekend.</p><p>”This year’s Birthday Honours List is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary dedication, compassion and service that exists in every corner of our country,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.</p><p>”From community champions to cultural icons, each recipient reflects the very best of Britain. I extend my heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to them all,” he said.</p><p>The list, released annually by the UK Cabinet Office in the name of the monarch, includes Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBEs) honours for Sunita Arora of the Arora Charitable Foundation for services to the charitable sector and philanthropy, Nurse Avinderjit Bhatia for services to the NHS and nursing, and Rita Hirani for services to women, the LGBTQ+ community and victims of domestic abuse.</p><p>Pooja Kanda, who has been campaigning against knife crime since losing her son Ronan to a fatal stabbing, has also been conferred with an OBE for services to the prevention of knife crime, along with Dr Kulin Kantilal Patel for services to animal health and international trade, Vaibhav Puri for services to rail safety and standards, Professor Pankaj Sharma for services to research in strokes in South Asian people, Ranjit Singh for services to further education, Dr Parag Singhal for services to health education and black and minority ethnic doctors, and Captain Jagjit Singh Sohal, Chair of the World War I Sikh Memorial Fund, for services to the commemoration of Commonwealth soldiers who served Great Britain.</p><p>Indian-origin professionals receiving Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the honours list include Indian classical musician Surdarshan Singh Chana for services to music and Sikh culture and artiste Sonia Sabri for services to dance.</p><p>Dr Richa Sinha, Chair of the Scottish Hindu Foundation, receives an MBE for services to the Hindu community in Scotland and to tackling Hinduphobia and Raman Kant Prinja, Professor of Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, has been recognised for services to academia and education.</p><p>Adarsh Khullar of the Scottish Asian Ekta Group and charity volunteer Santosh Sharma are among those receiving Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM), along with Ram Prakash Gupta and Amish Dipakkumar Patel for community service.</p><p>They are among over a thousand recipients recognised for their exceptional achievements, with a particular focus on those who have given their time to public service. English actor and filmmaker Gary Oldman receives a Knighthood for services to drama, while television artists Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly both receive MBEs for services to broadcasting.</p><p>”I send my congratulations to all of the recipients of this year’s Birthday Honours List, and thank them for their contributions to their communities and the country. If you know someone who has done something incredible, nominate them for an honour so the nation can recognise their achievements,” said Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden.</p><p>The oldest recipient this year is William Irwin who, at 106 years old, receives a BEM for services to the community at Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. For the first time, three members of the same family — Duncan Speirs, Caroline Jane Speirs and Jenna Catherine Helen Speirs — are all receiving BEMs for services to charitable fundraising after setting up Calum’s Cabin, which provides holiday homes for children facing cancer.</p><p>King Charles III’s birthday falls on November 14, with the official celebrations held in mid-June annually with a Trooping the Colour ceremony or the Sovereign’s Birthday Parade. PTI AK RC</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>