On the eve of Republic Day, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced the Padma Awards 2026, one of India’s highest civilian honours.
The President has approved a total of 131 awards (including 2 duo cases, where the award is counted as one), comprising 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri.
The awards recognise exceptional contributions across diverse fields such as art, public affairs, medicine, literature and education, sports, science and engineering, social work, and trade and industry. This year’s list includes 19 women awardees, 6 recipients from the Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI category, and 16 posthumous honours.
Legendary actor Dharmendra Singh Deol has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously for his iconic contributions to Indian cinema. Other Padma Vibhushan recipients include violin maestro N Rajam, former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan (posthumous), former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas, and litterateur P Narayanan.
Among the 13 Padma Bhushan awardees are singer Alka Yagnik, actor Mammootty, cricketer-turned-politician Vijay Amritraj, banker Uday Kotak, and adman Piyush Pandey (posthumous). Noted public figures Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Shibu Soren (posthumous), and Vellappally Natesan also feature in this category.
The Padma Shri list of 113 honourees celebrates a wide spectrum of talent and service. Cricketers Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Savita Punia are recognised for their sporting excellence. Other prominent names include actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, tabla maestro Kumar Bose, oncologist Prateek Sharma, and social workers from remote regions.
The awards also honour unsung contributors in archaeology, agriculture, animal husbandry, and traditional arts, reflecting the government’s emphasis on recognising grassroots impact.
The Padma Awards will be conferred by the President at a ceremonial function at Rashtrapati Bhawan, likely in March or April 2026.
This year’s selections continue the tradition of celebrating distinguished and exceptional service to the nation while ensuring representation across states, communities, and domains.
Padma Vibhushan (5)
|
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 |
Padma Bhushan (13)
|
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 |
