Padma Vibhushan for Dharmendra posthumously, Padma Shri for Rohit Sharma | See Padma Awards 2026 List

On the eve of the 77th Republic Day, the Government of India announced the prestigious Padma Awards for 2026, honoring 131 individuals for their "exceptional and distinguished service." The list includes 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. This year’s recipients reflect a deep commitment to inclusivity, featuring 19 women, six foreigners/NRIs, and 16 posthumous honors. The awards recognize a vast spectrum of fields, ranging from arts and social service to science, industry, and sports, with a grand ceremony scheduled at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the coming months.

The highest honor, the Padma Vibhushan, was posthumously conferred upon Bollywood legend Dharmendra Singh Deol and former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. Other distinguished recipients of the Padma Vibhushan include violin maestro N. Rajam, former Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas, and litterateur P. Narayanan. In the Padma Bhushan category, 13 personalities were recognized, including playback singer Alka Yagnik, veteran actor Mammootty, JMM founder Shibu Soren (posthumous), and banking titan Uday Kotak.

The sports world saw a moment of immense pride as Indian cricket stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur were both awarded the Padma Shri. Their recognition follows a historic period for Indian cricket, with Rohit leading the men’s team to T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy titles, and Harmanpreet captaining the women’s team to their maiden ICC World Cup victory. Other athletes honored include hockey captain Savita Punia and para-athlete Praveen Kumar, highlighting the diverse sporting talent currently thriving in the country.

A defining feature of the 2026 list is the continued focus on "unsung heroes"—ordinary citizens whose extraordinary contributions have transformed lives at the grassroots level. This category includes Anke Gowda, a former bus conductor who built a massive library in Karnataka, and Dr. Armida Fernandes, who pioneered Asia's first human milk bank. From tribal musicians preserving ancient instruments to educators working in Naxal-affected zones, these "Padma Veers" exemplify the spirit of selfless service that the awards seek to celebrate.

The 113 Padma Shri awardees also include popular culture figures like actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and R. Madhavan, alongside intellectual giants like former UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar. The international reach of Indian culture was acknowledged through honors for individuals from the USA, Germany, and Russia. As the nation prepares for the Republic Day parade, these awards serve as a powerful reminder of the individual excellence and collective resilience that define modern India.

PADMA VIBHUSHAN 2026 AWARDEES: FULL LIST

1. Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) — Art (Maharashtra)
2. K T Thomas — Public Affairs (Kerala)
3. N Rajam — Art (Uttar Pradesh)
4. P Narayanan — Literature & Education (Kerala)
5. V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) — Public Affairs (Kerala)

PADMA BHUSHAN 2026 AWARDEES: FULL LIST

1. Ms. Alka Yagnik — Art (Maharashtra)
2. Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari — Public Affairs (Uttarakhand)
3. Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy — Medicine (Tamil Nadu)
4. Shri Mammootty — Art (Kerala)
5. Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu — Medicine (United States of America)
6. Piyush Pandey (Posthumous) — Art (Maharashtra)
7. S K M Maeilanandhan — Social Work (Tamil Nadu)
8. Shatavadhani R Ganesh — Art (Karnataka)
9. Shibu Soren (Posthumous) — Public Affairs (Jharkhand)
10. Uday Kotak — Trade & Industry (Maharashtra)
11. V K Malhotra (Posthumous) — Public Affairs (Delhi)
12. Vellappally Natesan — Public Affairs (Kerala)
13. Vijay Amritraj — Sports (United States of America)

PADMA SHRI 2026 AWARDEES: FULL LIST

1. A E Muthunayagam – Science & Engineering (Kerala)
2. Anil Kumar Rastogi – Art (Uttar Pradesh)
3. Anke Gowda M. – Social Work (Karnataka)
4. Armida Fernandez – Medicine (Maharashtra)
5. Arvind Vaidya – Art (Gujarat)
6. Ashok Khade – Trade & Industry (Maharashtra)
7. Ashok Kumar Singh – Science & Engineering (Uttar Pradesh)
8. Asok Kumar Haldar – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
9. Baldev Singh – Sports (Punjab)
10. Bhagwandas Raikwar – Sports (Madhya Pradesh)
11. Bharat Singh Bharti – Art (Bihar)
12. Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda – Art (Maharashtra)
13. Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous) – Art (Bihar)
14. Brij Lal Bhat – Social Work (Jammu & Kashmir)
15. Buddha Rashmi Mani – Others–Archaeology (Uttar Pradesh)
16. Budhri Tati – Social Work (Chhattisgarh)
17. Chandramouli Gaddamanugu – Science & Engineering (Telangana)
18. Charan Hembram – Literature & Education (Odisha)
19. Chiranji Lal Yadav – Art (Uttar Pradesh)
20. Deepika Reddy – Art (Telangana)
21. Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya – Art (Gujarat)
22. Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad – Art (Andhra Pradesh)
23. Gafruddin Mewati Jogi – Art (Rajasthan)
24. Gambir Singh Yonzone – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
25. Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous) – Art (Andhra Pradesh)
26. Gayatri & Ranjani Balasubramanian (Duo) – Art (Tamil Nadu)
27. Gopal Ji Trivedi – Science & Engineering (Bihar)
28. Guduru Venkat Rao – Medicine (Telangana)
29. H V Hande – Medicine (Tamil Nadu)
30. Hally War – Social Work (Meghalaya)
31. Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay (Posthumous) – Art (West Bengal)
32. Haricharan Saikia – Art (Assam)
33. Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar – Sports (Punjab)
34. Inderjit Singh Sidhu – Social Work (Chandigarh)
35. Janardan Bapurao Bothe – Social Work (Maharashtra)
36. Jogesh Deuri – Others–Agriculture (Assam)
37. Juzer Vasi – Science & Engineering (Maharashtra)
38. Jyotish Debnath – Art (West Bengal)
39. K Pajanivel – Sports (Puducherry)
40. K Ramasamy – Science & Engineering (Tamil Nadu)
41. K Vijay Kumar – Civil Service (Tamil Nadu)
42. Kabindra Purkayastha (Posthumous) – Public Affairs (Assam)
43. Kailash Chandra Pant – Literature & Education (Madhya Pradesh)
44. Kalamandalam Vimala Menon – Art (Kerala)
45. Kewal Krishan Thakral – Medicine (Uttar Pradesh)
46. Khem Raj Sundriyal – Art (Haryana)
47. Kollakal Devaki Amma G – Social Work (Kerala)
48. Krishnamurty Balasubramanian – Science & Engineering (Telangana)
49. Kumar Bose – Art (West Bengal)
50. Kumarasamy Thangaraj – Science & Engineering (Telangana)
51. Lars-Christian Koch – Art (Germany)
52. Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova – Literature & Education (Russia)
53. Madhavan Ranganathan – Art (Maharashtra)
54. Maganti Murali Mohan – Art (Andhra Pradesh)
55. Mahendra Kumar Mishra – Literature & Education (Odisha)
56. Mahendra Nath Roy – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
57. Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar – Literature & Education (Delhi)
58. Mangala Kapoor – Literature & Education (Uttar Pradesh)
59. Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai – Art (Gujarat)
60. Mohan Nagar – Social Work (Madhya Pradesh)
61. Narayan Vyas – Others–Archaeology (Madhya Pradesh)
62. Naresh Chandra Dev Varma – Literature & Education (Tripura)
63. Nilesh Vinodchandra Mandlewala – Social Work (Gujarat)
64. Nuruddin Ahmed – Art (Assam)
65. Othuvaar Thiruthani Swaminathan – Art (Tamil Nadu)
66. Padma Gurmet – Medicine (Ladakh)
67. Palkonda Vijay Anand Reddy – Medicine (Telangana)
68. Pokhila Lekthepi – Art (Assam)
69. Prabhakar Basavprabhu Kore – Literature & Education (Karnataka)
70. Prateek Sharma – Medicine (USA)
71. Praveen Kumar – Sports (Uttar Pradesh)
72. Prem Lal Gautam – Science & Engineering (Himachal Pradesh)
73. Prosenjit Chatterjee – Art (West Bengal)
74. Punniamurthy Natesan – Medicine (Tamil Nadu)
75. R Krishnan (Posthumous) – Art (Tamil Nadu)
76. R V S Mani – Civil Service (Delhi)
77. Rabilal Tudu – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
78. Raghupat Singh (Posthumous) – Others–Agriculture (Uttar Pradesh)
79. Raghuveer Tukaram Khedkar – Art (Maharashtra)
80. Rajastapathi Kaliappa Goundar – Art (Tamil Nadu)
81. Rajendra Prasad – Medicine (Uttar Pradesh)
82. Rama Reddy Mamidi (Posthumous) – Others–Animal Husbandry (Telangana)
83. Ramamurthy Sreedher – Others–Radio Broadcasting (Delhi)
84. Ramchandra Godbole & Suneeta Godbole (Duo) – Medicine (Chhattisgarh)
85. Ratilal Borisagar – Literature & Education (Gujarat)
86. Rohit Sharma – Sports (Maharashtra)
87. S G Susheelamma – Social Work (Karnataka)
88. Sangyusang S Pongener – Art (Nagaland)
89. Sant Niranjan Dass – Others–Spiritualism (Punjab)
90. Sarat Kumar Patra – Art (Odisha)
91. Saroj Mandal – Medicine (West Bengal)
92. Satish Shah (Posthumous) – Art (Maharashtra)
93. Satyanarayan Nuwal – Trade & Industry (Maharashtra)
94. Savita Punia – Sports (Haryana)
95. Shafi Shauq – Literature & Education (Jammu & Kashmir)
96. Shashi Shekhar Vempati – Literature & Education (Karnataka)
97. Shrirang Devaba Lad – Others–Agriculture (Maharashtra)
98. Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar – Science & Engineering (Karnataka)
99. Shyam Sundar – Medicine (Uttar Pradesh)
100. Simanchal Patro – Art (Odisha)
101. Sivasankari – Literature & Education (Tamil Nadu)
102. Suresh Hanagavadi – Medicine (Karnataka)
103. Swami Brahmdev Ji Maharaj – Social Work (Rajasthan)
104. T T Jagannathan (Posthumous) – Trade & Industry (Karnataka)
105. Taga Ram Bheel – Art (Rajasthan)
106. Tarun Bhattacharya – Art (West Bengal)
107. Techi Gubin – Social Work (Arunachal Pradesh)
108. Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam – Art (Tamil Nadu)
109. Tripti Mukherjee – Art (West Bengal)
110. Veezhinathan Kamakoti – Science & Engineering (Tamil Nadu)
111. Vempaty Kutumba Sastry – Literature & Education (Andhra Pradesh)
112. Vladimer Mestvirishvili (Posthumous) – Sports (Georgia)
113. Yumnam Jatra Singh (Posthumous) – Art (Manipur)