As India prepares to celebrate its 76th Republic Day on Sunday, January 26, the central government unveiled the list of distinguished Padma awardees on Saturday, January 25
New Delhi, India – The Padma Awards, among the highest civilian honors in the country, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. These awards recognize exceptional contributions across various fields, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service.
The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, the Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order, and the Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced annually on the occasion of Republic Day and are presented by the President of India during ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhawan, typically held in March or April.
For 2025, the President of India has approved the conferment of 139 Padma Awards, including one duo case (wherein the award is counted as one). The list includes 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri Awards. Among the awardees, 23 are women, while the list also features 10 individuals from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees.
Take a look at the list of notable awardees:
This year, 139 Padma Awards have been approved, including 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri recipients. The list includes 23 women, 10 individuals from the Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI category, and 13 posthumous awardees.
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan, awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, is being conferred on seven individuals, three of whom are being honored posthumously.
Awardees:
- Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy (Medicine), Telangana
- Justice (Retd) Jagdish Singh Khehar (Public Affairs), Chandigarh
- Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia (Art), Gujarat
- Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (Art), Karnataka
Posthumous Awardees:
- M.T. Vasudevan Nair (Literature and Education), Kerala
- Osamu Suzuki (Trade and Industry), Japan
- Sharda Sinha (Art), Bihar
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan, awarded for distinguished service of high order, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions in their respective fields.
Prominent Awardees:
- Shri A Surya Prakash Literature and Education Journalism Karnataka
- Shri Anant Nag Art Karnataka
- Shri Bibek Debroy (Posthumous) Literature and Education NCT Delhi
- Shri Jatin Goswami Art Assam
- Shri Jose Chacko Periappuram Medicine Kerala
- Shri Kailash Nath Dikshit Others – Archaeology NCT Delhi
- Shri Manohar Joshi (Posthumous) Public Affairs Maharashtra
- Shri Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti Trade and Industry Tamil Nadu
- Shri Nandamuri Balakrishna Art Andhra Pradesh
- Shri P R Sreejesh Sports Kerala
- Shri Pankaj Patel Trade and Industry Gujarat
- Shri Pankaj Udhas (Posthumous) Art Maharashtra
- Shri Rambahadur Rai Literature and Education – Journalism Uttar Pradesh
- Sadhvi Ritambhara Social Work Uttar Pradesh
- Shri S Ajith Kumar Art Tamil Nadu
- Shri Shekhar Kapur Art Maharashtra
- Ms. Shobana Chandrakumar Art Tamil Nadu
- Shri Sushil Kumar Modi (Posthumous) Public Affairs Bihar
- Shri Vinod Dham Science and Engineering United States of America
Padma Shri
The Padma Shri, awarded for distinguished service in any field, honors a diverse range of achievers.
Notable Awardees:
- Dr. Neerja Bhatla (Medicine) – A gynecologist from Delhi, recognized for her specialized work in cervical cancer detection, prevention, and management.
- Bhim Singh Bhavesh (Social Work) – A social worker from Bihar’s Bhojpur district, celebrated for his 22 years of dedication to uplifting the marginalized Musahar community through his foundation, Nayee Asha.
- P. Datchanamoorthy (Art) – A master instrumentalist specializing in the Thavil, a classical South Indian percussion instrument, with over five decades of expertise.
These prestigious awards will be conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, typically scheduled for March or April each year.
