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India celebrated excellence across diverse fields as the Padma Awards 2026 recognized 131 distinguished individuals for their exceptional contributions to society, public service, arts, science, sports, literature, medicine, and other disciplines. The awards, among the country's highest civilian honours, were announced on the eve of Republic Day and later conferred by President Droupadi Murmu during the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
The Padma Awards are presented in three categories—Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. According to the official guidelines, Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. The honours recognize achievements across a broad spectrum of disciplines where public service forms a significant element.
President Murmu Presents Padma Awards 2026
On May 25, 2026, President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among other dignitaries.
The investiture ceremony marked the formal recognition of several eminent personalities whose work has left a lasting impact on the nation and beyond.
131 Padma Awards Approved for 2026
The Government of India approved a total of 131 Padma Awards for 2026, including two duo cases, which are counted as one award each. The honours comprise:
-
5 Padma Vibhushan awards
-
13 Padma Bhushan awards
-
113 Padma Shri awards
Among the awardees, 19 are women. The list also includes six recipients from the categories of Foreigners, NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs, along with 16 posthumous awardees.
Padma Vibhushan Awardees 2026
The prestigious Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, was conferred on five distinguished personalities:
|
SN |
Name |
Field |
State / Country |
|
1 |
Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) |
Art |
Maharashtra |
|
2 |
Shri K T Thomas |
Public Affairs |
Kerala |
|
3 |
Ms. N Rajam |
Art |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
4 |
Shri P Narayanan |
Literature and Education |
Kerala |
|
5 |
Shri V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) |
Public Affairs |
Kerala |
These awardees were recognized for exceptional and distinguished service in their respective fields.
Padma Bhushan Recipients
The Padma Bhushan list featured several eminent personalities from arts, medicine, public affairs, and industry. Key recipients included:
|
SN |
Name |
Field |
State / Country |
|
6 |
Ms. Alka Yagnik |
Art |
Maharashtra |
|
7 |
Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari |
Public Affairs |
Uttarakhand |
|
8 |
Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy |
Medicine |
Tamil Nadu |
|
9 |
Shri Mammootty |
Art |
Kerala |
|
10 |
Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu |
Medicine |
United States of America |
|
11 |
Shri Piyush Pandey (Posthumous) |
Art |
Maharashtra |
|
12 |
Shri S K M Maeilanandhan |
Social Work |
Tamil Nadu |
|
13 |
Shri Shatavadhani R Ganesh |
Art |
Karnataka |
|
14 |
Shri Shibu Soren (Posthumous) |
Public Affairs |
Jharkhand |
|
15 |
Shri Uday Kotak |
Trade and Industry |
Maharashtra |
|
16 |
Shri V K Malhotra (Posthumous) |
Public Affairs |
Delhi |
|
17 |
Shri Vellappally Natesan |
Public Affairs |
Kerala |
|
18 |
Shri Vijay Amritraj |
Sports |
United States of America |
The award acknowledged decades of excellence and service rendered by these distinguished personalities.
Padma Shree Recipients
|
SN |
Name |
Field |
State / Country |
|
19 |
Shri A E Muthunayagam |
Science and Engineering |
Kerala |
|
20 |
Shri Anil Kumar Rastogi |
Art |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
21 |
Shri Anke Gowda M. |
Social Work |
Karnataka |
|
22 |
Ms. Armida Fernandez |
Medicine |
Maharashtra |
|
23 |
Shri Arvind Vaidya |
Art |
Gujarat |
|
24 |
Shri Ashok Khade |
Trade and Industry |
Maharashtra |
|
25 |
Shri Ashok Kumar Singh |
Science and Engineering |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
26 |
Shri Asok Kumar Haldar |
Literature and Education |
West Bengal |
|
27 |
Shri Baldev Singh |
Sports |
Punjab |
|
28 |
Shri Bhagwandas Raikwar |
Sports |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
29 |
Shri Bharat Singh Bharti |
Art |
Bihar |
|
30 |
Shri Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda |
Art |
Maharashtra |
|
31 |
Shri Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous) |
Art |
Bihar |
|
32 |
Shri Brij Lal Bhat |
Social Work |
Jammu and Kashmir |
|
33 |
Shri Buddha Rashmi Mani |
Others - Archaeology |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
34 |
Dr. Budhri Tati |
Social Work |
Chhattisgarh |
|
35 |
Shri Chandramouli Gaddamanugu |
Science and Engineering |
Telangana |
|
36 |
Shri Charan Hembram |
Literature and Education |
Odisha |
|
37 |
Shri Chiranji Lal Yadav |
Art |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
38 |
Ms. Deepika Reddy |
Art |
Telangana |
|
39 |
Shri Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya |
Art |
Gujarat |
|
40 |
Shri Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad |
Art |
Andhra Pradesh |
|
41 |
Shri Gafruddin Mewati Jogi |
Art |
Rajasthan |
|
42 |
Shri Gambir Singh Yonzone |
Literature and Education |
West Bengal |
|
43 |
Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous) |
Art
|
Andhra Pradesh |
|
44 |
Ms. Gayatri Balasubramanian and Ms. Ranjani Balasubramanian (Duo)* |
Art |
Tamil Nadu |
|
45 |
Shri Gopal Ji Trivedi |
Science and Engineering |
Bihar |
|
46 |
Shri Guduru Venkat Rao |
Medicine |
Telangana |
|
47 |
Shri H V Hande |
Medicine |
Tamil Nadu |
|
48 |
Shri Hally War |
Social Work |
Meghalaya |
|
49 |
Shri Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay (Posthumous) |
Art |
West Bengal |
|
50 |
Shri Haricharan Saikia |
Art |
Assam |
|
51 |
Ms. Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar |
Sports |
Punjab |
|
52 |
Shri Inderjit Singh Sidhu |
Social Work |
Chandigarh |
|
53 |
Shri Janardan Bapurao Bothe |
Social Work |
Maharashtra |
|
54 |
Shri Jogesh Deuri |
Others - Agriculture |
Assam |
|
55 |
Shri Juzer Vasi |
Science and Engineering |
Maharashtra |
|
56 |
Shri Jyotish Debnath |
Art |
West Bengal |
|
57 |
Shri K Pajanivel |
Sports |
Puducherry |
|
58 |
Shri K Ramasamy |
Science and Engineering |
Tamil Nadu |
|
59 |
Shri K Vijay Kumar |
Civil Service |
Tamil Nadu |
|
60 |
Shri Kabindra Purkayastha (Posthumous) |
Public Affairs |
Assam |
|
61 |
Shri Kailash Chandra Pant |
Literature and Education |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
62 |
Ms. Kalamandalam Vimala Menon |
Art |
Kerala |
|
63 |
Shri Kewal Krishan Thakral |
Medicine |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
64 |
Shri Khem Raj Sundriyal |
Art |
Haryana |
|
65 |
Ms. Kollakal Devaki Amma G |
Social Work |
Kerala |
|
66 |
Shri Krishnamurty Balasubramanian |
Science and Engineering |
Telangana |
|
67 |
Shri Kumar Bose |
Art |
West Bengal |
|
68 |
Shri Kumarasamy Thangaraj |
Science and Engineering |
Telangana |
|
69 |
Prof. (Dr.) Lars-Christian Koch
|
Art |
Germany |
|
70 |
Ms. Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova |
Literature and Education |
Russia |
|
71 |
Shri Madhavan Ranganathan |
Art |
Maharashtra |
|
72 |
Shri Maganti Murali Mohan |
Art |
Andhra Pradesh |
|
73 |
Shri Mahendra Kumar Mishra |
Literature and Education |
Odisha |
|
74 |
Shri Mahendra Nath Roy |
Literature and Education |
West Bengal |
|
75 |
Shri Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar |
Literature and Education |
Delhi |
|
76 |
Ms. Mangala Kapoor |
Literature and Education |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
77 |
Shri Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai |
Art |
Gujarat |
|
78 |
Shri Mohan Nagar |
Social Work |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
79 |
Shri Narayan Vyas |
Others - Archaeology |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
80 |
Shri Naresh Chandra Dev Varma |
Literature and Education |
Tripura |
|
81 |
Shri Nilesh Vinodchandra Mandlewala |
Social Work |
Gujarat |
|
82 |
Shri Nuruddin Ahmed |
|
