Awards & Appointments
Padma Awards 2026: 131 in all
The Padma Awards 2026, announced 25 January: 131 in all, 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri.
The Padma Awards for 2026 were announced on 25 January 2026. The President approved 131 awards, counting each of two duo cases as one: 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. The list carries 19 women, 16 posthumous awards and 6 from the foreigner, NRI, PIO or OCI category.
The Padma Vibhushan went to Dharmendra Singh Deol (posthumous, art), K T Thomas (public affairs), N Rajam (art), P Narayanan (literature and education) and V S Achuthanandhan (posthumous, public affairs).
The announcement and the conferment are months apart — the names come out on Republic Day, and the investiture ceremonies are held at Rashtrapati Bhavan around March or April. A question that asks when someone received an award is asking about a different date from the one on which it was announced.
Test yourself
Question 1
How many Padma Awards were announced for 2026, and how did they divide across the three categories?
- A139 in all — 6 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan, 124 Padma Shri
- B128 in all — 2 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan, 116 Padma Shri
- C110 in all — 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, 89 Padma Shri
- D131 in all — 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, 113 Padma Shri
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The President approved 131 awards, counting two duo cases as one each, made up of 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri
The list included 19 women, 16 posthumous awards and 6 from the foreigner, NRI, PIO or OCI category
- Concept
- Padma Awards 2026
- Typical time
- 50 seconds
- Written from
- pib.gov.in
Question 2
When are the Padma Awards announced, and when are they actually conferred?
- AAnnounced on Republic Day and conferred at Rashtrapati Bhavan around March or April
- BAnnounced on Independence Day and conferred on Republic Day
- CAnnounced and conferred together on Republic Day
- DAnnounced in March and conferred on Independence Day
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The names come out on Republic Day, and the investiture ceremonies are held at Rashtrapati Bhavan around March or April
Months separate the two, so a question that asks when someone received an award is asking about a different date from the one on which the award was announced
- Concept
- The Padma calendar
- Typical time
- 40 seconds
- Written from
- pib.gov.in