New Delhi: The Union government unveiled the list of recipients for the Padma Awards 2026, recognising distinguished contributions across arts, public service, sports, literature and social work. Among the prominent names are legendary actor Dharmendra, former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Indian cricket stars Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur, and celebrated advertising professional Piyush Pandey.
Dharmendra and Achuthanandan have been conferred the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, posthumously. The award was also announced for former Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas, acclaimed writer P. Narayanan and renowned classical violinist N. Rajam, completing the list of five recipients in the highest category this year.
Interestingly, three of the Padma Vibhushan awardees hail from Kerala, a state that is scheduled to go to the polls in May. Kerala and Tamil Nadu also feature prominently in the Padma Bhushan list, with two recipients each from the two southern states.
The Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, has been bestowed upon 13 eminent personalities, including veteran actor Mammootty, playback singer Alka Yagnik, tennis icon Vijay Amritraj, industrialist Uday Kotak, and senior BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Kumar Malhotra. Former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren, Malhotra and ad veteran Piyush Pandey have been honoured posthumously.
In the Padma Shri category, which recognises notable service in various fields, 113 individuals have been named. The list includes Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and women’s team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for their contributions to the sport, alongside para-athlete Praveen Kumar, hockey coach Baldev Singh, sanitation advocate and former IPS officer Inderjit Singh Sidhu, counter-insurgency specialist and ex-CRPF chief K. Vijay Kumar, and spiritual leader Niranjan Dass.
Also among the Padma Shri awardees are actors R. Madhavan and the late Satish Shah, as well as former Indian women’s hockey captain Savita Punia.
Tamil Nadu leads the Padma Shri tally with 11 awardees, followed by West Bengal with seven and Kerala with three — all three states facing assembly elections later this year.
The Padma Awards, instituted in 1954, are among the highest civilian honours in India and are presented annually on the eve of Republic Day to acknowledge exceptional service and achievements in diverse domains.
