The Padma Awards 2026 place India’s educationists, scientists and academic leaders at the centre of national recognition, with 131 honours announced ahead of Republic Day. The government said the awards include five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri, covering fields such as literature and education, science and engineering, medicine, public affairs, social work, sports, trade and industry, civil service and others.
From former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar to IIT Madras director Veezhinathan Kamakoti, the list reflects the role of knowledge, research and institution-building in shaping universities, classrooms and laboratories across the country.
Key Takeaways: Padma Awards 2026
- 131 awards were announced ahead of Republic Day
- Five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri were included
- Education and research featured prominently across categories
- Former UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar and IIT Madras director Veezhinathan Kamakoti were among the recipients
- The government statement detailed criteria for each Padma category
- Awardees represented disciplines ranging from literature and science to medicine, public affairs, social work and sports
Padma Awards 2026: Education and Research in National Focus
The Padma Awards 2026 brought India’s educationists, researchers and academic leaders into national focus once again. Announced on the eve of Republic Day, the honours recognised intellectual labour shaping universities, classrooms and laboratories.
From former UGC chairperson Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar to IIT Madras director Veezhinathan Kamakoti, the list reflected the government’s emphasis on higher education, research and scientific innovation as central to nation-building.
Education featured prominently alongside literature, science and public service, reinforcing the idea that knowledge remains one of India’s strongest public assets.
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The government said in a statement that Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.
Categories and Total Awards Announced
Ahead of Republic Day, the Government of India on Sunday announced 131 Padma awards. These included:
- Padma Vibhushan: 5
- Padma Bhushan: 13
- Padma Shri: 113
The Padma Vibhushan is the highest Indian honour after the Bharat Ratna, followed by the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
According to the government statement, honours were awarded across disciplines such as:
- Art
- Social work
- Public affairs
- Science and engineering
- Trade and industry
- Medicine
- Literature and education
- Sports
- Civil service
- Other specified fields
Padma Vibhushan Recipients
The Padma Vibhushan list included:
| Name | Field | State |
| Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) | Art | Maharashtra |
| Shri K T Thomas | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| Ms. N Rajam | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shri P Narayanan | Literature and Education | Kerala |
| Shri V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Kerala |
Padma Bhushan Awardees
The Padma Bhushan recipients included figures from art, medicine, public affairs, social work, trade and industry, and sports:
- Ms. Alka Yagnik (Art, Maharashtra)
- Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Public Affairs, Uttarakhand)
- Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy (Medicine, Tamil Nadu)
- Shri Mammootty (Art, Kerala)
- Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu (Medicine, United States of America)
- Shri Piyush Pandey (Art, Maharashtra, Posthumous)
- Shri S K M Maelandhan (Social Work, Tamil Nadu)
- Shri Shatavadhani R Ganesh (Art, Karnataka)
- Shri Shibu Soren (Public Affairs, Jharkhand, Posthumous)
- Shri Uday Kotak (Trade and Industry, Maharashtra)
- Shri V K Malhotra (Public Affairs, Delhi, Posthumous)
- Shri Vellappally Natesan (Public Affairs, Kerala)
- Shri Vijay Amritraj (Sports, United States of America)
Padma Shri: Literature, Education, Science and Social Work
The Padma Shri list spanned 113 recipients across disciplines.
Among those recognised in literature and education were Asok Kumar Haldar, Charan Hembram, Gambir Singh Yonzone, Kailash Chandra Pant, Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova, Mahendra Kumar Mishra, Mahendra Nath Roy, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Mangala Kapoor, Naresh Chandra Dev Varma, Prabhakar Basavprabhu Kore, Rabilal Tudu, Ratilal Borisagar, Prof Shafi Shauq, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Sivasankari and Vempaty Kutumba Sastry.
Science and engineering awardees included AE Muthunayagam, Ashok Kumar Singh, Chandramouli Gaddamanugu, Gopal Ji Trivedi, Juzer Vasi, K Ramasamy, Krishnamurty Balasubramanian, Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Prem Lal Gautam, Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar and Veezhinathan Kamakoti.
Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, reacted to the honour by saying the award strengthened his commitment to the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 and credited collective effort behind his achievements.
Complete Padma Shri Listings: Broad National Representation
The Padma Shri list extended from serial numbers 19 to 131 and covered recipients across Indian states and several countries.
It included awardees in:
- Art
- Medicine
- Sports
- Social work
- Civil service
- Trade and industry
- Archaeology
- Agriculture
- Animal husbandry
- Radio broadcasting
- Spiritualism
Among the recipients were Shri A E Muthunayagam, Shri Anil Kumar Rastogi, Shri Anke Gowda M., Ms. Armida Fernandez, Shri Arvind Vaidya, Shri Ashok Khade, Shri Ashok Kumar Singh, Shri Asok Kumar Haldar, Shri Baldev Singh, Shri Bhagwandas Raikwar, Shri Bharat Singh Bharti, Shri Bikhlya Ladakya Dhinda,
Shri Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous), Shri Brij Lal Bhat, Shri Buddha Rashmi Mani, Dr. Budhri Tati, Shri Chandramouli Gaddamanugu, Shri Charan Hembram, Shri Chiranjee Lal Yadav, Ms. Deepika Reddy, Shri Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad, Shri Gafuruddin Mewati Jogi, Shri Gambir Singh Yonzone,
Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous), Ms. Gayatri Balasubramanian and Ms. Ranjani Balasubramanian (Duo), Shri Gopal Ji Trivedi, Shri Guduru Venkat Rao, Shri H V Hande, Shri Hally War, Shri Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay (Posthumous), Shri Haricharan Saikia, Ms. Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, Shri Inderjit Singh Sidhu, Shri Janardan Bapurao Bothe, Shri Jogesh Deuri, Shri Juzer Vasi,
Shri Jyotish Debnath, Shri K Pajanivel, Shri K Ramasamy, Shri K Vijay Kumar, Shri Kabindra Purkayastha (Posthumous), Shri Kailash Chandra Pant, Ms. Kalamandalam Vimala Menon, Shri Kewal Krishan Thakral, Shri Khem Raj Sundriyal, Ms. Kollakal Devaki Amma G, Shri Krishnamurty Balasubramanian, Shri Kumar Bose, Shri Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Prof. (Dr.) Lars-Christian Koch, Ms. Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova, Shri Madhavan Ranganathan,
Shri Maganti Murali Mohan, Shri Mahendra Kumar Mishra, Shri Mahendra Nath Roy, Shri Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Ms. Mangala Kapoor, Shri Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai, Shri Mohan Nagar, Shri Narayan Vyas, Shri Naresh Chandra Dev Varma, Shri Nilesh Vinodchandra Mandlewala, Shri Nuruddin Ahmed, Shri Othuvar Thiruthani Swaminathan, Dr. Padma Gurmet, Shri Palkonda Vijay Anand Reddy, Ms. Pokhila Lekthepi,
Dr. Prabhakar Basavprabhu Kore, Shri Prateek Sharma, Shri Praveen Kumar, Shri Prem Lal Gautam, Shri Prosenjit Chatterjee, Dr. Puniamurthy Natesan, Shri R Krishnan (Posthumous), Shri R V S Mani, Shri Rabilal Tudu, Shri Raghupat Singh (Posthumous), Shri Raghuveer Tukaram Khedkar, Shri Rajastapathi Kaliappa Goundar, Shri Rajendra Prasad, Shri Rama Reddy Mamidi (Posthumous),
Shri Ramamurthy Sreedhar, Shri Ramchandra Godbole and Ms. Suneeta Godbole (Duo), Shri Ratilal Borisagar, Shri Rohit Sharma, Ms. S G Susheelamma, Shri Sangyusang S Pongener, Sant Niranjan Dass, Shri Sarat Kumar Patra, Shri Saroj Mandal,
Shri Satish Shah (Posthumous), Shri Satyanarayan Nuwal, Ms. Savita Punia, Prof. Shafi Shauq, Shri Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Shri Shrirang Devaba Lad, Ms. Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar, Shri Shyam Sundar, Shri Simanchal Patro, Ms. Sivasankari, Dr. Suresh Hanagavadi, Swami Brahmdev Ji Maharaj, Shri T T Jagannathan (Posthumous), Shri Taga Ram Bheel, Shri Tarun Bhattacharya, Shri Techi Gubin, Shri Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam,
Ms. Tripti Mukherjee, Shri Veezhinathan Kamakoti, Shri Vempaty Kutumba Sastry, Shri Vladimer Mestvirishvili (Posthumous) and Shri Yumnam Jatra Singh (Posthumous).
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What the 2026 List Signals for Education and Research
The Padma Awards 2026 send a clear message that education and research are central to national progress.
By recognising university leaders, language scholars, scientists and institution-builders, the list underscored the long-term value of academic work that often unfolds away from public attention.
As India pushes for global academic relevance and innovation-led growth, the recognitions highlighted individuals who laid the groundwork quietly, persistently and with lasting impact.
FAQs on Padma Awards 2026
Q1. How many Padma Awards were announced in 2026?
A total of 131 awards were announced ahead of Republic Day.
Q2. What is the breakdown of Padma Awards 2026?
Five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri were announced.
Q3. Who among education leaders were recognised?
Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar and Veezhinathan Kamakoti were among the recognised academic leaders.
Q4. What did the government statement say about award criteria?
It explained criteria for Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri categories.
Q5. When were the Padma Awards 2026 announced?
They were announced ahead of Republic Day.
