2026 Padma Awards Conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan

On 25 May 2026, President Droupadi Murmu presided over the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, presenting Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri honours. Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah attended. The first round featured two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan and fifty-eight Padma Shri awards.

The Hindu

The Padma awards are announced each Republic Day and conferred at presidential investiture ceremonies.

The Hindu

Posthumous Padma Vibhushan awards went to actor Dharmendra (accepted by wife MP Hema Malini) and violinist N. Rajam, noted for a vocal-style technique. Padma Bhushan laureates included former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, literary improviser Shatavadhani R. Ganesh, Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Suresh Kumar Kotak, and gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy; the honour was also conferred posthumously on former MP Vijay Kumar Malhotra, while ad-guru Piyush Pandey received it as well. Padma Shri awardees spanned cinema (Prosenjit Chatterjee), women’s cricket (Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar), para-athletics (Praveen Kumar), policing (ex-CRPF chief K. Vijay Kumar), folk music (Mir Haji Kasam, N. Swaminathan, Taga Ram Bheel), Silambam (K. Pajanivel), hockey coaching (Baldev Singh), “Kantha” embroidery (Tripti Mukherjee), social work (Janardan Bapurao Bothe), tribal health services (Dr. Ramchandra and Suneeta Godbole), environmentalism (Devaki Amma G., Hally War), bibliography (Ankegowda M.), Sanskrit scholarship (Vempaty Kutumba Shastry) and botany (Gambir Singh Yonzone).

The Hindu

President Murmu approved 131 Padma awards for 2026: five Vibhushan, thirteen Bhushan and 113 Shri. The ceremony covered two Vibhushan, six Bhushan and fifty-eight Shri awards; the remaining recipients will be honoured later.

The Hindu

The Padma awards highlight contributions that shape India’s cultural, scientific, athletic and public-service spheres, amplifying recipients’ influence and reinforcing national ideals of excellence.

The Hindu

President Murmu presided over the ceremony, and Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were present, indicating high-level governmental participation.

The Hindu

• “Gayaki Ang.” — description of N. Rajam’s violin technique

The Hindu

• “Singing Violin.” — nickname attributed to N. Rajam

The Hindu

• “Avadhana.” — classical improvisational art revived by Shatavadhani R. Ganesh

The Hindu

• “Kantha.” — traditional embroidery style practiced by Tripti Mukherjee

The Hindu

The remaining Padma awardees will be felicitated in a second investiture later in the year; specific dates and the full pending list were not disclosed.

The Hindu

The source does not provide the schedule for the second ceremony nor the complete roster of the remaining awardees, leaving those details unconfirmed.

The Hindu