New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- The Union government on Sunday announced the Padma Awards for 2026, approving 131 civilian honours across the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri categories, recognising contributions spanning public affairs, arts, cinema, literature, science, medicine, sports, social work and industry. Among the most prominent names are veteran actor Dharmendra and former Kerala chief minister and Communist leader V S Achuthanandan, both of whom will receive the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
According to the official announcement, the list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. Two duo cases are counted as single awards. Sixteen of the honours are posthumous, while six recipients fall under the foreigner, non-resident Indian, person of Indian origin or overseas citizen of India categories. A total of 19 women feature in the list, while officials separately noted that 48 awardees are aged 80 years or above.
The Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award given for exceptional and distinguished service, has also been conferred on former Supreme Court judge K T Thomas for public affairs, Hindustani classical violinist N Rajam for art, and eminent Malayalam journalist and author P Narayanan for literature and education.
The Padma Bhushan category, which honours distinguished service of a high order, includes playback singer Alka Yagnik, actor Mammootty, tennis legend Vijay Amritraj, industrialist and banker Uday Kotak, former Uttarakhand chief minister and Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, and social leader and SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan. Tamil Nadu-based gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy, US-based oncologist Nori Dattatreyudu, social worker S K M Maeilanandhan, and Avadhanam bhajan performer Shatavadhani R Ganesh have also been named.
Several Padma Bhushan honours have been awarded posthumously, including to advertising icon Piyush Pandey, senior BJP leader and former MP V K Malhotra, and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha founder and former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren.
The Padma Shri list for 2026 features a wide mix of nationally recognised figures and grassroots contributors. In sports, Indian men's cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, who led India to victory in the most recent T20 World Cup, women's cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, women's hockey goalkeeper Savita Punia, hockey player Baldev Singh and para athlete Praveen Kumar have been honoured.
Cinema and the arts are represented by actors R Madhavan, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Arvind Vaidya, Anil Kumar Rastogi and Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad, along with posthumous recognition for veteran actor Satish Shah. Musicians, classical performers and folk artists from across the country also form a substantial part of the list.
In science and technology, aerospace scientist Chandramouli Gaddamanugu from the Defence Research and Development Laboratory has been awarded for his role in directing the Akash missile system from development to deployment during Operation Sindoor.
Former Indian Space Research Organisation scientist A E Muthunayagam has been recognised for leading India's cryogenic propulsion programme.
Shubha Venkatesh Iyengar, an aerospace scientist involved in the development of aviation weather and fog-monitoring systems, is also among the recipients.
Several Padma Shri awards have gone to individuals noted for contributions rooted in modest beginnings.
Ashok Khade, the son of a Dalit cobbler who went on to establish an offshore fabrication company contributing to strategic infrastructure, has been honoured.
Agricultural scientist Ashok Kumar Singh, who developed more than 25 rice varieties, and Dalit author Asok Kumar Haldar, who wrote literature while working as a railway guard, have also been recognised.
The list includes Ramamurthy Sreedher, former Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force and a key figure in the special task force operation against forest brigand Veerappan, as well as a pioneer of community radio in India.
Satyanarayan Nuwal, founder of India's first licensed private defence manufacturing company producing indigenous ammunition, has also received the Padma Shri.
Former Ministry of Home Affairs under-secretary R V S Mani, former Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor and ex-UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, former Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Shashi Shekhar Vempati, and archaeologist Budha Krishna Mani, who led excavations in Ayodhya and Sarnath, are among the civil service and academic honourees.
Officials said the 2026 selections were made from over 39,000 nominations evaluated through what they described as an exhaustive, rigorous and scientific multi-round scrutiny process involving extensive consultations with ministries, state and district administrations, and domain experts.
Geographical diversity remains a key feature of this year's list.
Awardees come from 84 districts across 30 states and Union Territories.
Ten districts have received Padma recognition for the first time since Independence, including Mandya in Karnataka, Betul in Madhya Pradesh, Parbhani in Maharashtra, Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ranga Reddy in Telangana, Dakshin Dinajpur in West Bengal, Nuapada in Odisha, Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, Eluru in Andhra Pradesh and Deeg in Rajasthan.
"Padma awards go beyond just the big cities, into the heartland of India," an official associated with the process said, pointing to representation from districts such as Alappuzha, Bhojpur, Cachar, Darjeeling, Goalpara, Imphal, Junagadh, Krishna, Mokokchung, Purba Bardhaman and Sri Ganganagar.
The inclusion of leaders from across the political spectrum was also highlighted by officials, citing the honours for Achuthanandan and Shibu Soren as reflective of a bipartisan approach.
According to government figures, leaders from over 18 political parties and 22 states have been recognised during the past 12 years.
Special attention has been drawn to the continued recognition of the North-Eastern region.
Officials said that over 40 per cent of all Padma awards conferred on the eight Ashtalakshmi states since Independence have been awarded during the past 12 years, acknowledging indigenous traditions, languages, arts, culture and environmental stewardship.
Healthcare professionals continue to feature prominently, with recognition for doctors who have worked in public service addressing challenges such as polio, kala-azar, tuberculosis, haemophilia and neonatal care.
Among this year's awardees are Armida Fernandez, a neonatologist who served in government hospitals for nearly five decades and established Asia's first human milk bank, and Mangala Kapoor, an acid attack survivor who became a music scholar and teacher at Banaras Hindu University.
The Padma Awards, announced annually on the eve of Republic Day, are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually in March or April.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the awardees in a post on X, saying, "Congratulations to all the Padma Awardees for their outstanding contributions to our nation.
Their excellence, dedication and service across diverse fields enrich the fabric of our society.
The honour reflects the spirit of commitment and excellence that continues to inspire generations."
Officials said the 2026 honours reflect representation across more than 100 fields, ranging from traditional crafts, classical and folk arts, journalism and sports to science, defence manufacturing, banking, agriculture, environmental conservation and advanced technology, underscoring the breadth of contributions recognised under the Padma Awards.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.