Former Kerala CM VS Achuthanandan, actor Dharmendra awarded Padma Vibhushan
What's the story
The Padma Awards, India's highest civilian honors, were announced on the eve of Republic Day 2026. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of higher order; and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field of activity. Among this year's five Padma Vibhushan awardees are former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan and celebrated actor Dharmendra. Both have been awarded posthumously.
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan awarded to Shibu Soren posthumously
Among the 13 Padma Bhushan awardees are playback singer Alka Yagnik, former Uttarakhand CM Bhagat Singh Koshyari, actor Mammootty, and banker Uday Kotak. Meanwile JMM founder Shibu Soren and BJP leader VK Malhotra were awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously. Advertising professional Piyush Pandey, who passed away in October 2025, was also conferred with the award.
Awardees
Unsung heroes of India recognized with Padma Shri
This year, 45 individuals were also honored with the Padma Shri award in the "unsung heroes" category. Among the awardees were Anke Gowda, a former bus conductor who started the world's largest free-access library, "Pustak Mane," and Armida Fernandez from Maharashtra. Others included Bhagwadas Raikwar from Madhya Pradesh, Brij Lal Bhat from Jammu and Kashmir, Budri Thati from Chhattisgarh, Charan Hembram from Odisha, Chiranji Lal Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, and Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya from Gujarat.
Award announcement
Padma Awards announced on eve of Republic Day
The Padma Awards are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day in India. For the year 2026, the President has approved the conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including 2 duo cases. This year, a total of 982 personnel from Police, Fire, Home Guard and Civil Defence (HG&CD), and Correctional Services were awarded gallantry and service medals. The awards are given in various disciplines, including art, social work, public affairs, science, and engineering, among others.
Other names
Diversity of award recipients
Incidentally, 19 of the Padma awardees this year are women. The list also includes six foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI recipients. Of the total, sixteen awards are posthumous. For Padma Shri, cricketers Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur will be honored for their contributions in the field of sports. Other notable names include former UGC Chairman and JNU Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, veteran actor Satish Shah (posthumous), women's hockey player Savita Punia, and Bengali cinema actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, among others.
Twitter Post
List of Padma Awardees
#PadmaAwards 2026 announced: 131 awardees honoured, including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri, recognising excellence and service across diverse fields.#PadmaAwards2026 #PeoplesPadma pic.twitter.com/iuhyldgeSE
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 25, 2026