President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred Padma awards on 66 recipients during the first civil investiture ceremony for 2026 held at the Ganatantra Mandap of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Among the prominent awardees were legendary actor Dharmendra, who was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, late advertising veteran Piyush Pandey, who received the Padma Bhushan, and India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who was honoured with the Padma Shri.
Actor and BJP MP Hema Malini received the award on behalf of Dharmendra during the ceremony.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among those present at the event.
For 2026, the President approved 131 Padma awards, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri honours. The remaining awardees are expected to receive the honours in a second investiture ceremony later this year.
Also read: President Murmu to confer Padma awards 2026 on May 25
Other prominent Padma Shri awardees included former UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, industrialist Uday Kotak, actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, Paralympic gold medallist Praveen Kumar and former Uttarakhand governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Violin maestro N. Rajam was among the Padma Vibhushan awardees, while noted physician Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy was conferred the Padma Bhushan.
The Padma awards, announced annually on the eve of Republic Day, are among India’s highest civilian honours and recognise contributions across fields including art, literature, education, public affairs, sports, medicine, science and social work.
Follow us
