Page 40 - NIS English 16-28 Feb, 2026

NATION | Padma Awards 2026

Significance of the Alka Yagnik
Padma Awards (Art)
Maharashtra
n The Government of India instituted two civilian
awards in 1954 – Bharat Ratna and Padma
Vibhushan. The Padma Vibhushan award had 13 Padma Bhushan Awardees
three categories: First Class, Second Class, and
Third Class. On January 8, 1955, a notification
issued by the President renamed them Padma Bhagat Singh
Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. Koshyari

n These awards are a symbol of prestige and (Public Affairs)
national honour. No cash prize is given. Uttarakhand
n Awardees receive a certificate signed by the
president and a medal. A smaller replica of the
medal is also given, which they can wear during
any ceremony.

n This award is not equivalent to a title. It cannot Kallipatti Ramasamy
be used as a suffix or prefix to the names of the Palaniswamy
awardees. (Medicine)
Tamil Nadu

of women who have received Padma Awards in the last six
years has reached 154. These awards are usually conferred
by the President of India at ceremonies held at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, typically around March or April each year. Mammootty
(Art)
Among the eminent personalities being honoured for Kerala
their outstanding contributions and dedicated service to
the nation, 16 are receiving the awards posthumously. Actor
Dharmendra Singh Deol and former Kerala Chief Minister
V.S. Achuthanandan will be posthumously awarded the
Padma Vibhushan. The Padma Bhushan recipients include
former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Dr Nori
Kallipatti Ramasamy Palanisamy, singer Alka Yagnik, and Dattatreyudu
Malayalam actor Mammootty, along with advertising guru (Medicine)
Piyush Pandey, politician Shibu Soren, and Vijay Kumar USA
Malhotra, who will be posthumously awarded the Padma
Bhushan. Among the 113 recipients of the Padma Shri
award are several from the sports world, including crick-
eters Rohit Sharma, Praveen Kumar, and women’s cricket
team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, along with Baldev Singh,
K. Pazhanivel, and Savita Punia. Piyush Pandey
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah lauded (Posthumous) (Art)
the contributions of the Padma awardees selected from Maharashtra
Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Assam, stating that this will
undoubtedly inspire more people to serve society selflessly.

38 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || February 16-28, 2026