President Droupadi Murmu Confers Padma Awards 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhavan

President Droupadi Murmconferred the Padma Awards 2026 during the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on 25 May 2026. The awards were presented to distinguished personalities from fields such as art, literature, education, sports, medicine, public affairs, and social work for their exceptional contributions to the nation. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Key Highlights

A total of 131 Padma Awards were approved for 2026, including:

5 Padma Vibhushan

13 Padma Bhushan

113 Padma Shri awards.

During the first Civil Investiture Ceremony, President Murmpresented 66 Padma honours to awardees from different fields. Veteran actor Dharmendra was honoured posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to Indian cinema. Actress Hema Malini received the award on his behalf.

About Padma Awards:

Instituted in: 1954

The Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours and are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. They are conferred in three categories:

Padma Vibhushan – Exceptional and distinguished service

Padma Bhushan – Distinguished service of high order

Padma Shri – Distinguished service in any field.

The awards are given in various disciplines including:

Art

Literature and Education

Science and Engineering

Medicine

Social Work

Sports

Public Affairs

Trade and Industry.

About Civilian Awards in India:

Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award.

Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award.

Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award.

Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award.

Selection Process:

The Padma Awards Committee is constituted annually by the Prime Minister.

Recommendations are received from:

State Governments

Union Territories

Ministries

Previous awardees

Members of Parliament

General public.

About Rashtrapati Bhavan

Located in: New Delhi

Official residence of the President of India

Designed by: Edwin Lutyens

Earlier known halls:

Durbar Hall renamed as Ganatantra Mandap

Ashok Hall renamed as Ashok Mandap in 2024

Padma Awards 2026 –List

Padma Vibhushan Awardees 2026

AwardeeFieldState/Country

Dharmendra (Posthumous)ArtMaharashtra

K. T. ThomasPublic AffairsKerala

N. RajamArtUttar Pradesh

P. NarayananLiterature & EducationKerala

V. S. Achuthanandan (Posthumous)Public AffairsKerala

Padma Bhushan Awardees 2026

AwardeeFieldState/Country

Alka YagnikArtMaharashtra

Bhagat Singh KoshyariPublic AffairsUttarakhand

K. R. PalaniswamyMedicineTamil Nadu

MammoottyArtKerala

Nori DattatreyuduMedicineUSA

Piyush Pandey (Posthumous)ArtMaharashtra

S. K. M. MaeilanandhanSocial WorkTamil Nadu

R. Ganesh ArtKarnataka

Vijay AmritrajSportsTamil Nadu

ShibSoren (Posthumous)Public AffairsJharkhand

Uday KotakTrade & IndustryMaharashtra

R. C. LahotiPublic AffairsDelhi

Teejan Bai ArtChhattisgarh

Notable Padma Shri Awardees 2026:

Sports

Rohit Sharma

Harmanpreet Kaur

Savita Punia

Cinema & Entertainment

R. Madhavan

Prosenjit Chatterjee

Satish Shah (Posthumous)

Literature & Education

Charan Hembram

Rabilal Tudu

Social Work & Others

Several grassroots workers, tribal artists, doctors, teachers, and folk artists from across India were honoured under the Padma Shri category.