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Padma Awards 2026: Honoring Exceptional Contributors
Sandy Verma | January 28, 2026 1:27 PM CST

On the eve of Republic Day, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced the Padma Awards 2026, one of India’s highest civilian honours.


The President has approved a total of 131 awards (including 2 duo cases, where the award is counted as one), comprising 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri.

The awards recognise exceptional contributions across diverse fields such as art, public affairs, medicine, literature and education, sports, science and engineering, social work, and trade and industry. This year’s list includes 19 women awardees, 6 recipients from the Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI category, and 16 posthumous honours.

Legendary actor Dharmendra Singh Deol has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously for his iconic contributions to Indian cinema. Other Padma Vibhushan recipients include violin maestro N Rajam, former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan (posthumous), former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas, and litterateur P Narayanan.

Among the 13 Padma Bhushan awardees are singer Alka Yagnik, actor Mammootty, cricketer-turned-politician Vijay Amritraj, banker Uday Kotak, and adman Piyush Pandey (posthumous). Noted public figures Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Shibu Soren (posthumous), and Vellappally Natesan also feature in this category.

The Padma Shri list of 113 honourees celebrates a wide spectrum of talent and service. Cricketers Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Savita Punia are recognised for their sporting excellence. Other prominent names include actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, tabla maestro Kumar Bose, oncologist Prateek Sharma, and social workers from remote regions.

The awards also honour unsung contributors in archaeology, agriculture, animal husbandry, and traditional arts, reflecting the government’s emphasis on recognising grassroots impact.

The Padma Awards will be conferred by the President at a ceremonial function at Rashtrapati Bhawan, likely in March or April 2026.

This year’s selections continue the tradition of celebrating distinguished and exceptional service to the nation while ensuring representation across states, communities, and domains.

Four Odisha Personalities in Padma Shri 2026 List


Padma Vibhushan (5)

SN

Name

Field

State / Country

1

Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol

(Posthumous)

Art

Maharashtra

2

Shri K T Thomas

Public Affairs

Kerala

3

Mrs. N Stone

Art

Uttar Pradesh

4

Shri P Narayanan

Literature and Education

Kerala

5

Shri VS Achuthanandhan

(Posthumous)

Public Affairs

Kerala

Padma Bhushan (13)

SN

Name

Field

State / Country

6

Ms. Alka Yagnik

Art

Maharashtra

7

Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Public Affairs

Uttarakhand

8

Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy

Palaniswamy

Medicine

Tamil Nadu

9

Shri Mammootty

Art

Kerala

10

Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu

Medicine

United States of

America

11

Shri Piyush Pandey (Posthumous)

Art

Maharashtra

12

Shri S K M Maeilanandhan

Social Work

Tamil Nadu

13

Shri Shatavadhani R Ganesh

Art

Karnataka

14

Shri Shibu Soren (Posthumous)

Public Affairs

Jharkhand

15

Shri Uday Kotak

Trade and Industry

Maharashtra

16

Shri V K Malhotra (Posthumous)

Public Affairs

Delhi

17

Shri Vellappally Natesan

Public Affairs

Kerala

18

Shri Vijay Amritraj

Sports

United States of

America


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