Veteran actor Dharmendra and prominent Left leader and former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan have been chosen for the Padma Vibhushan award posthumously on the eve of the 77th Republic Day.
Padma Awards 2026. (Pic: Padma Awards/Facebook)
Late JMM founder and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, singer Alka Yagnik, tennis maestro Vijay Amritraj, and Malayalam superstar Mammotty are among the recipients of the Padma Bhushan.
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The Union Government on Sunday announced a list of a total of 131 prestigious Padma Awards. The list includes several prominent figures from public life, arts, cinema, literature, sports and public affairs.
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The Padma Awards are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/fields of activities, viz., art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
Among the recipients of the Padma Shri are India women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, former Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, space scientist A E Muthunayagam, veteran theatre actor Anil Kumar Rastogi, Karnataka social activist Anke Gowda, who built India’s largest free personal library of over 20 lakh books, acclaimed actor Satish Shah (posthumous), women’s hockey player Savita Punia, and Tollywood legend Prosenjit Chatterjee.
Congratulating all the Padma Awardees for their outstanding contributions to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the excellence, dedication and service of the awardees across diverse fields enrich the fabric of society.
He noted that the honour reflects the spirit of commitment and excellence that continues to inspire generations.
Responding to an X post announcing the Padma Awards 2026, PM Modi said; “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.”
The other awardees of the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest national award, are K T Thomas (Public Affairs), classical violinist N Rajam (Art), and P. Narayanan (Literature and Education).
The Padma Bhushan awardees include former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. US-based Dr Nori Dattatreyudu, late advertising maestro Piyush Pandey, businessman Uday Kotak, veteran BJP leader and former MP V.K. Malhotra, and influential Kerala community leader and SNDP Yogam supremo Vellappally Natesan.
Among the recipients of the Padma Shri are India women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, former Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, former UGC Chairman JNU Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, veteran actor Satish Shah (posthumous), women’s hockey player Savita Punia, Tollywood legend Prosenjit Chatterjee, among others.
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