SYLLABUS

Prelims: Current events of National & International importance.

Context: To recognise exceptional civilian contributions across diverse fields, the President of India approved the Padma Awards 2026, announced on the occasion of Republic Day.

More on the News

• The President of India approved the conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including two duo cases (where the award is counted as one).
• It includes 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and a total of 113 Padma Shri recipients across various fields.
• The awards will be presented at ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhawan during March or April 2026.
• Nineteen women are among the awardees, reflecting increased recognition of women achievers.
• Six recipients belong to the categories of Foreigners, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) or Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs).
• Sixteen awards have been conferred posthumously to honour contributions made during the recipients’ lifetimes.

About Padma Awards

• The Padma Awards, instituted in the year 1954, are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day.  
• The Awards seek to recognise achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.
• The awards are presented by the President of India, where the awardees are presented a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. 
• The total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to NRI/foreigners/OCIs) should not be more than 120. 
• The award does not amount to a title and cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardee’s name. 
• The Awards are given in three categories: 
  • Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service
  • Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of higher order 
  • Padma Shri for distinguished service.

Eligibility & Nomination

• All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards. 
• However, Government servants, including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for these Awards. 
• A higher category of Padma award can be conferred on a person only where a period of at least five years has elapsed since the conferment of the earlier Padma award. However, in highly deserving cases, a relaxation can be made by the Awards Committee. 
• The nomination process is open to the public, and self-nominations are also accepted. 
• Online nominations can be filed through padmaawards.gov.in.

Selection Process

• The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year. 
• The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, the Secretary to the President and four to six eminent persons as members. 
• The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval. 

Source:
The Hindu
PIB