This year’s Padma awards spotlight a wide range of achievers, including several “unsung heroes” whose quiet contributions have created lasting impact. Among those recognised are a former bus conductor who built the world’s largest free-access library, a paediatrician who founded Asia’s first human milk bank, and a 90-year-old artist preserving a rare musical tradition.
The government has announced a total of 131 Padma awards for 2026, comprising 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. Veteran actor Dharmendra (posthumous) and former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandhan have been conferred the Padma Vibhushan, while Alka Yagnik received the Padma Bhushan and R Madhavan was awarded the Padma Shri. Notably, Karnataka-based Anke Gowda, who established the massive free library Pustak Mane with over two million books, has also been honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to social empowerment through education.
PADMA SHRI 2026 AWARDEES: FULL LIST
A E Muthunayagam – Science & Engineering (Kerala)
Anil Kumar Rastogi – Art (Uttar Pradesh)
Anke Gowda M. – Social Work (Karnataka)
Armida Fernandez – Medicine (Maharashtra)
Arvind Vaidya – Art (Gujarat)
Ashok Khade – Trade & Industry (Maharashtra)
Ashok Kumar Singh – Science & Engineering (Uttar Pradesh)
Asok Kumar Haldar – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
Baldev Singh – Sports (Punjab)
Bhagwandas Raikwar – Sports (Madhya Pradesh)
Bharat Singh Bharti – Art (Bihar)
Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda – Art (Maharashtra)
Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous) – Art (Bihar)
Brij Lal Bhat – Social Work (Jammu & Kashmir)
Buddha Rashmi Mani – Others–Archaeology (Uttar Pradesh)
Budhri Tati – Social Work (Chhattisgarh)
Chandramouli Gaddamanugu – Science & Engineering (Telangana)
Charan Hembram – Literature & Education (Odisha)
Chiranji Lal Yadav – Art (Uttar Pradesh)
Deepika Reddy – Art (Telangana)
Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya – Art (Gujarat)
Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad – Art (Andhra Pradesh)
Gafruddin Mewati Jogi – Art (Rajasthan)
Gambir Singh Yonzone – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous) – Art (Andhra Pradesh)
Gayatri & Ranjani Balasubramanian (Duo) – Art (Tamil Nadu)
Gopal Ji Trivedi – Science & Engineering (Bihar)
Guduru Venkat Rao – Medicine (Telangana)
H V Hande – Medicine (Tamil Nadu)
Hally War – Social Work (Meghalaya)
Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay (Posthumous) – Art (West Bengal)
Haricharan Saikia – Art (Assam)
Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar – Sports (Punjab)
Inderjit Singh Sidhu – Social Work (Chandigarh)
Janardan Bapurao Bothe – Social Work (Maharashtra)
Jogesh Deuri – Others–Agriculture (Assam)
Juzer Vasi – Science & Engineering (Maharashtra)
Jyotish Debnath – Art (West Bengal)
K Pajanivel – Sports (Puducherry)
K Ramasamy – Science & Engineering (Tamil Nadu)
K Vijay Kumar – Civil Service (Tamil Nadu)
Kabindra Purkayastha (Posthumous) – Public Affairs (Assam)
Kailash Chandra Pant – Literature & Education (Madhya Pradesh)
Kalamandalam Vimala Menon – Art (Kerala)
Kewal Krishan Thakral – Medicine (Uttar Pradesh)
Khem Raj Sundriyal – Art (Haryana)
Kollakal Devaki Amma G – Social Work (Kerala)
Krishnamurty Balasubramanian – Science & Engineering (Telangana)
Kumar Bose – Art (West Bengal)
Kumarasamy Thangaraj – Science & Engineering (Telangana)
Lars-Christian Koch – Art (Germany)
Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova – Literature & Education (Russia)
Madhavan Ranganathan – Art (Maharashtra)
Maganti Murali Mohan – Art (Andhra Pradesh)
Mahendra Kumar Mishra – Literature & Education (Odisha)
Mahendra Nath Roy – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar – Literature & Education (Delhi)
Mangala Kapoor – Literature & Education (Uttar Pradesh)
Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai – Art (Gujarat)
Mohan Nagar – Social Work (Madhya Pradesh)
Narayan Vyas – Others–Archaeology (Madhya Pradesh)
Naresh Chandra Dev Varma – Literature & Education (Tripura)
Nilesh Vinodchandra Mandlewala – Social Work (Gujarat)
Nuruddin Ahmed – Art (Assam)
Othuvaar Thiruthani Swaminathan – Art (Tamil Nadu)
Padma Gurmet – Medicine (Ladakh)
Palkonda Vijay Anand Reddy – Medicine (Telangana)
Pokhila Lekthepi – Art (Assam)
Prabhakar Basavprabhu Kore – Literature & Education (Karnataka)
Prateek Sharma – Medicine (USA)
Praveen Kumar – Sports (Uttar Pradesh)
Prem Lal Gautam – Science & Engineering (Himachal Pradesh)
Prosenjit Chatterjee – Art (West Bengal)
Punniamurthy Natesan – Medicine (Tamil Nadu)
R Krishnan (Posthumous) – Art (Tamil Nadu)
R V S Mani – Civil Service (Delhi)
Rabilal Tudu – Literature & Education (West Bengal)
Raghupat Singh (Posthumous) – Others–Agriculture (Uttar Pradesh)
Raghuveer Tukaram Khedkar – Art (Maharashtra)
Rajastapathi Kaliappa Goundar – Art (Tamil Nadu)
Rajendra Prasad – Medicine (Uttar Pradesh)
Rama Reddy Mamidi (Posthumous) – Others–Animal Husbandry (Telangana)
Ramamurthy Sreedher – Others–Radio Broadcasting (Delhi)
Ramchandra Godbole & Suneeta Godbole (Duo) – Medicine (Chhattisgarh)
Ratilal Borisagar – Literature & Education (Gujarat)
Rohit Sharma – Sports (Maharashtra)
S G Susheelamma – Social Work (Karnataka)
Sangyusang S Pongener – Art (Nagaland)
Sant Niranjan Dass – Others–Spiritualism (Punjab)
Sarat Kumar Patra – Art (Odisha)
Saroj Mandal – Medicine (West Bengal)
Satish Shah (Posthumous) – Art (Maharashtra)
Satyanarayan Nuwal – Trade & Industry (Maharashtra)
Savita Punia – Sports (Haryana)
Shafi Shauq – Literature & Education (Jammu & Kashmir)
Shashi Shekhar Vempati – Literature & Education (Karnataka)
Shrirang Devaba Lad – Others–Agriculture (Maharashtra)
Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar – Science & Engineering (Karnataka)
Shyam Sundar – Medicine (Uttar Pradesh)
Simanchal Patro – Art (Odisha)
Sivasankari – Literature & Education (Tamil Nadu)
Suresh Hanagavadi – Medicine (Karnataka)
Swami Brahmdev Ji Maharaj – Social Work (Rajasthan)
T T Jagannathan (Posthumous) – Trade & Industry (Karnataka)
Taga Ram Bheel – Art (Rajasthan)
Tarun Bhattacharya – Art (West Bengal)
Techi Gubin – Social Work (Arunachal Pradesh)
Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam – Art (Tamil Nadu)
Tripti Mukherjee – Art (West Bengal)
Veezhinathan Kamakoti – Science & Engineering (Tamil Nadu)
Vempaty Kutumba Sastry – Literature & Education (Andhra Pradesh)
Vladimer Mestvirishvili (Posthumous) – Sports (Georgia)
Yumnam Jatra Singh (Posthumous) – Art (Manipur)
PADMA BHUSHAN 2026 AWARDEES: FULL LIST
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)
Piyush Pandey (Posthumous) — Art (Maharashtra)
S K M Maeilanandhan — Social Work (Tamil Nadu)
Shatavadhani R Ganesh — Art (Karnataka)
Shibu Soren (Posthumous) — Public Affairs (Jharkhand)
Uday Kotak — Trade & Industry (Maharashtra)
V K Malhotra (Posthumous) — Public Affairs (Delhi)
Vellappally Natesan — Public Affairs (Kerala)
Vijay Amritraj — Sports (United States of America)
PADMA VIBHUSHAN 2026 AWARDEES: FULL LIST
Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) — Art (Maharashtra)
K T Thomas — Public Affairs (Kerala)
N Rajam — Art (Uttar Pradesh)
P Narayanan — Literature & Education (Kerala)
V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) — Public Affairs (Kerala)
