Padma Awards 2026: Ahead of Republic Day 2026, the Government of India has announced the provisional list of Padma Award recipients, continuing the long-standing tradition of recognising individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the nation. The Padma Awards 2026 once again highlight India’s commitment to honouring not only well-known achievers but also grassroots changemakers and unsung heroes whose work has brought meaningful and lasting social impact.
Padma Awards: Structure and National Significance
Instituted in 1954, the Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours and are announced annually on 26 January. The awards are conferred in three categories:
- Padma Vibhushan – For exceptional and distinguished service
- Padma Bhushan – For distinguished service of a high order
- Padma Shri – For distinguished service in any field
These honours span diverse domains such as art, literature, science, medicine, social work, sports, industry, and public affairs, often bringing national recognition to contributions that remained outside mainstream attention.
Padma Vibhushan 2026: Honouring Lifelong Excellence
The Padma Vibhushan, the highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna, has been conferred on five eminent personalities this year. Several honours have been awarded posthumously, recognising extraordinary lifetime contributions across fields including arts, public service, and national leadership. The awardees represent a legacy of transformative impact at the national and global levels.
Padma Bhushan 2026: Distinguished Service Across Sectors
A total of 13 individuals have been selected for the Padma Bhushan 2026, reflecting excellence across a wide range of fields. Notable awardees include:
- Renowned actor Mammootty
- Celebrated playback singer Alka Yagnik
- Industrialist and banker Uday Kotak
- Former international tennis star Vijay Amritraj
This category recognises outstanding achievement in culture, economy, sports, cinema, and public service.
Padma Shri 2026: Celebrating Grassroots Impact
The Padma Shri, the most widely conferred Padma award, has been awarded to 113 individuals in 2026. The list represents India’s rich social and cultural diversity, featuring:
Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma
Actor R. Madhavan
Numerous social workers, educators, doctors, scientists, traditional artists, farmers, and innovators
A significant number of awardees come from remote and underrepresented regions, reinforcing the Padma Awards’ role in recognising community-level service and grassroots innovation.
Padma Vibhushan 2026 Winners
| Name | Field | State/Country |
| Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) | Art | Maharashtra |
| Shri K T Thomas | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| Ms. N Rajam | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri P Narayanan | Literature & Education | Kerala |
| Shri V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Kerala |
Padma Bhushan 2026 Winners
| Name | Field | State/Country |
| Ms. Alka Yagnik | Art | Maharashtra |
| Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari | Public Affairs | Uttarakhand |
| Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Mammootty | Art | Kerala |
| Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu | Medicine | USA |
| Shri Piyush Pandey | Art | Maharashtra |
| Shri S K M Maeilanandhan | Social Work | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Shatavadhani R Ganesh | Art | Karnataka |
| Shri Shibu Soren | Public Affairs | Jharkhand |
| Shri Uday Kotak | Trade & Industry | Maharashtra |
| Shri V K Malhotra | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| Shri Vellappally Natesan | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| Shri Vijay Amritraj | Sports | USA |
Padma Shri 2026 Winners: Sports
| Name | State/Country |
| Shri Baldev Singh | Punjab |
| Shri Bhagwandas Raikwar | Madhya Pradesh |
| Ms. Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar | Punjab |
| Shri K. Pajanivel | Puducherry |
| Shri Praveen Kumar | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri Rohit Sharma | Maharashtra |
| Ms. Savita Punia | Haryana |
| Shri Vladimer Mestvirishvili (Posthumous) | Georgia |
Padma Shri 2026 Winners: Art
| Name | State/Country |
| Shri Anil Kumar Rastogi | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri Arvind Vaidya | Gujarat |
| Shri Bharat Singh Bharti | Bihar |
| Shri Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda | Maharashtra |
| Shri Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous) | Bihar |
| Shri Chiranji Lal Yadav | Uttar Pradesh |
| Ms. Deepika Reddy | Telangana |
| Shri Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya | Gujarat |
| Shri Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad | Andhra Pradesh |
| Shri Gafruddin Mewati Jogi | Rajasthan |
| Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous) | Andhra Pradesh |
| Ms. Gayatri & Ms. Ranjani Balasubramanian | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay (Posthumous) | West Bengal |
| Shri Haricharan Saikia | Assam |
| Ms. Kalamandalam Vimala Menon | Kerala |
| Shri Khem Raj Sundriyal | Haryana |
| Shri Kumar Bose | West Bengal |
| Shri Madhavan Ranganathan | Maharashtra |
| Shri Maganti Murali Mohan | Andhra Pradesh |
| Shri Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai | Gujarat |
| Shri Nuruddin Ahmed | Assam |
| Shri Othuvaar Thiruthani Swaminathan | Tamil Nadu |
| Ms. Pokhila Lekthepi | Assam |
| Shri Prosenjit Chatterjee | West Bengal |
| Shri R. Krishnan (Posthumous) | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Raghuveer Tukaram Khedkar | Maharashtra |
| Shri Rajastapathi Kaliappa Goundar | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Sangyusang S. Pongener | Nagaland |
| Shri Sarat Kumar Patra | Odisha |
| Shri Satish Shah (Posthumous) | Maharashtra |
| Shri Simanchal Patro | Odisha |
| Shri Taga Ram Bheel | Rajasthan |
| Shri Tarun Bhattacharya | West Bengal |
| Shri Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam | Tamil Nadu |
| Ms. Tripti Mukherjee | West Bengal |
| Shri Yumnam Jatra Singh (Posthumous) | Manipur |
Padma Shri 2026 Winners: Medicine
| Name | State/Country |
| Ms. Armida Fernandez | Maharashtra |
| Shri Guduru Venkat Rao | Telangana |
| Shri H. V. Hande | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Kewal Krishan Thakral | Uttar Pradesh |
| Dr. Padma Gurmet | Ladakh |
| Shri Palkonda Vijay Anand Reddy | Telangana |
| Shri Prateek Sharma | USA |
| Dr. Punniamurthy Natesan | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Rajendra Prasad | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri Ramchandra & Ms. Suneeta Godbole | Chhattisgarh |
| Shri Saroj Mandal | West Bengal |
| Shri Shyam Sundar | Uttar Pradesh |
| Dr. Suresh Hanagavadi | Karnataka |
Padma Shri 2026 Winners: Literature & Education
| Name | State/Country |
| Shri Asok Kumar Haldar | West Bengal |
| Shri Charan Hembram | Odisha |
| Shri Gambir Singh Yonzone | West Bengal |
| Shri Kailash Chandra Pant | Madhya Pradesh |
| Shri Mahendra Kumar Mishra | Odisha |
| Shri Mahendra Nath Roy | West Bengal |
| Shri Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar | Delhi |
| Ms. Mangala Kapoor | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri Naresh Chandra Dev Varma | Tripura |
| Shri Rabilal Tudu | West Bengal |
| Shri Ratilal Borisagar | Gujarat |
| Prof. Shafi Shauq | J&K |
| Shri Shashi Shekhar Vempati | Karnataka |
| Ms. Sivasankari | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Vempaty Kutumba Sastry | Andhra Pradesh |
| Ms. Liudmila Khokhlova | Russia |
Padma Shri 2026 Winners: Science & Engineering
| Name | State/Country |
| Shri A. E. Muthunayagam | Kerala |
| Shri Ashok Kumar Singh | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri Chandramouli Gaddamanugu | Telangana |
| Shri Gopal Ji Trivedi | Bihar |
| Shri Juzer Vasi | Maharashtra |
| Shri K. Ramasamy | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Krishnamurty Balasubramanian | Telangana |
| Shri Kumarasamy Thangaraj | Telangana |
| Shri Prem Lal Gautam | Himachal Pradesh |
| Ms. Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar | Karnataka |
| Shri Veezhinathan Kamakoti | Tamil Nadu |
Padma Shri 2026 Winners: Social Work/Others/Public Service
| Name | Field | State/Country |
| Shri Anke Gowda | Social Work | Karnataka |
| Shri Brij Lal Bhat | Social Work | J&K |
| Dr. Budhri Tati | Social Work | Chhattisgarh |
| Shri Inderjit Singh Sidhu | Social Work | Chandigarh |
| Shri Hally War | Social Work | Meghalaya |
| Shri Janardan Bapurao Bothe | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| Shri Jogesh Deuri | Agriculture | Assam |
| Shri Kabindra Purkayastha (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Assam |
| Ms. Kollakal Devaki Amma G | Social Work | Kerala |
| Shri Mohan Nagar | Social Work | Madhya Pradesh |
| Shri Narayan Vyas | Archaeology | Madhya Pradesh |
| Shri Raghupat Singh (Posthumous) | Agriculture | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri Rama Reddy Mamidi (Posthumous) | Animal Husbandry | Telangana |
| Shri Ramamurthy Sreedher | Radio Broadcasting | Delhi |
| Sant Niranjan Dass | Spiritualism | Punjab |
| Shri Satyanarayan Nuwal | Trade & Industry | Maharashtra |
| Shri Shrirang Devaba Lad | Agriculture | Maharashtra |
| Shri T. T. Jagannathan (Posthumous) | Trade & Industry | Karnataka |
| Shri Techi Gubin | Social Work | Arunachal Pradesh |
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