Key Points
31 Padma Awardshav been announced for 2026, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri honours. This includes 19 women, six foreigners, NRIs, PIOs or OCIs, and 16 posthumously awards.
High-profile recipients include V S Achuthanandan, Dharmendra, Shibu Soren, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Mammootty, Alka Yagnik, Uday Kotak, Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, IM Vijayan, and Vijay Amritraj.
The Awards highlight a notable spread across poll-bound states, ideological divides, and regional and caste influences.
The Central Government has announced the Padma Awards for 2026, one of India’s highest civilian honours, recognising 131 individuals for distinguished public service across art, politics, literature, sports, medicine, science and social work. The awards were announced on 25 January 2026, eve of Republic Day.
Among the most prominent names this year are the late Hindi film actor Dharmendra, former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, late Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren, veteran Malayalam actor Mammootty, playback singer Alka Yagnik, banker Uday Kotak, cricketers Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur, footballer IM Vijayan, and tennis player Vijay Amritraj.
The Awards are of 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
For 2026, the honours include five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. The list includes two duo cases, which are counted as a single award. A total of 19 women have been honoured, six recipients are from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs or OCIs, and 16 awards have been conferred posthumously.
The recipients span a wide range of disciplines, including art, public affairs, medicine, literature and education, sports, trade and industry, science and engineering, agriculture, archaeology and social work. The awards will be presented by the President at ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually held in March or April.
Nominations are open to the public, including self-nominations. The awardees are decided by a committee constituted annually by the Prime Minister and headed by the Cabinet Secretary, with the Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and four to six eminent persons as members. They are assessed on lifetime achievement with a clear element of public service, which must meet the criteria of “excellence plus”, according to the Padma Awards website.
Five individuals were conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 2026. Former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan was awarded posthumously for public affairs. Veteran Hindi film actor Dharmendra Singh Deol also received the honour posthumously in the field of art.
Other recipients include former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas for public affairs, renowned classical violinist N Rajam for art, and senior RSS leader and editor P Narayanan for contributions to literature and education. Three of the five Padma Vibhushan awardees are from Kerala.
Thirteen individuals were awarded the Padma Bhushan this year. Among them are playback singer Alka Yagnik for art, Malayalam actor Mammootty for art, banker Uday Kotak for trade and industry, and former Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj for sports.
Political figures honoured include former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan, and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha founder Shibu Soren, who received the award posthumously. Veteran Jana Sangh leader and former MP VK Malhotra was also awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously.
The Padma Shri category accounts for the largest number of awards, with 113 recipients. The list includes sportspersons such as Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, cricketer Rohit Sharma and footballer IM Vijayan.
Several awardees were recognised for grassroots and social contributions. Anke Gowda, a former bus conductor from Karnataka, was honoured for establishing the free-access library Pustak Mane, which houses more than two million books. Mumbai-based paediatrician Armida Fernandes was awarded for setting up Asia’s first human milk bank. Other recipients include Bundeli war art trainer Bhagwandas Raikwar, 90-year-old tribal Tarpa player Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda, and social worker Brij Lal Bhat from Jammu and Kashmir.
Multiple awardees this year are from poll-bound states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Of the five Padma Vibhushan recipients, three are from Kerala. The list includes figures from across the political spectrum, with posthumous honours for CPI(M) leader VS Achuthanandan and JMM founder Shibu Soren alongside awards for BJP veterans such as Bhagat Singh Koshyari and the late VK Malhotra.
The Padma Bhushan awarded to Vellappally Natesan, a prominent Ezhava community leader in Kerala, also drew attention due to his recent political positioning and public statements targeting Muslims. Senior RSS leader P Narayanan’s Padma Vibhushan further highlighted the presence of ideological figures in the honours list.
The timing of awards to certain figures with regional and caste influence, particularly in states with upcoming elections, also mirrors earlier instances where civilian honours were conferred in tune with broader political waves.
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