KATHMANDU, May 26: President Bidya Bhandari has conferred various state honors on 258 persons including family members of her own and Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun on the occasion of the ninth Republic Day on Friday. 

The president posthumously conferred Nepal Ratna on the then CPN-UML General Secretary Madan Bhandari amidst a special function organized at Shital Niwas on Friday. The president handed over the state honor to Bhandari's daughters Usha Kiran Bhandari and Nisha Kusum Bhandari. Late Bhandari was the husband of President Bhandari.

Similarly, the president also conferred Jana Sewa Award on Dipesh Kumar Pun, son of Vice President Pun.  As there is no specific criterion for conferring state honors, the distribution of such honors has always drawn controversies. The practice of conferring state honors to relatives and those close to people in power continues even after the abolition of monarchy.

President also conferred various honors on former speaker Subas Nembang, former PM Surya Bahadur Thapa (posthumously), Post Bahadur Bogati (posthumously), Energy Minister Janardan Sharma, former Supreme Court justice Baidhyanath Upadhyay, Chief of Army Staff General Rajendra Chhetri, Chief Secretary Somlal Subedi among others.

 
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