Veteran actor Dharmendra and former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan were posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan on Republic Day 2026. The late JMM founder Shibu Soren, singer Alka Yagnik, and Malayalam superstar Mammotty received the Padma Bhushan, while sportspersons Harmanpreet Kaur, Rohit Sharma, and Savita Punia were honored with the Padma Shri. President Droupadi Murmu approved a total of 131 Padma Awards, including 2 duo cases.
The list of awardees for this year includes five Padma Vibhushans, 13 Padma Bhushans, and 113 Padma Shris. Among the recipients, 19 are women, and there are six foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI awardees. Sixteen of the awards are posthumous. Notably, Dharmendra was recognized as an enduring Hindi cinema legend with a career spanning seven decades and over 300 films.
The Padma Vibhushan awardees also include former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas, classical violinist N Rajam, and Malayalam literateur P. Narayanan. The Padma Bhushan recipients feature personalities like former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, advertising maestro Piyush Pandey, and tennis legend Vijay Amritraj. The Padma Shri awardees encompass individuals from various fields, including cricket, space science, theatre, and social activism.
The Padma Awards, categorized into Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, are bestowed for exceptional and distinguished service in diverse fields such as art, public affairs, science, sports, and more.
