The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian honors in India, recognizing distinguished service in various fields where public service is involved , announced annually on the eve of Republic Day .
Categories: The Padma Awards are given in three categories:
- Padma Vibhushan: Awarded for exceptional and distinguished service . It is the second-highest civilian award in India, after the Bharat Ratna .
- Padma Bhushan: Awarded for distinguished service of a high order .
- Padma Shri: Awarded for distinguished service .
The Padma Awards were instituted in 1954, initially as three classes of the Padma Vibhushan (Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg, and Tisra Varg), which were later renamed in 1955 to Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri . The awards were briefly interrupted in 1978, 1979, and between 1993 and 1997 .
The awards are open to all persons regardless of race, occupation, position, or sex . However, government servants (except doctors and scientists) are not eligible . The awards recognize achievements in various fields, including:
- Art
- Social Work
- Public Affairs
- Science & Engineering
- Trade & Industry
- Medicine
- Literature & Education
- Civil Service
- Sports
- Other fields like propagation of Indian culture, protection of human rights, and wildlife conservation .
Nominations are open to the public, and self-nominations are also accepted . The nominations are reviewed by the Padma Awards Committee, constituted annually by the Prime Minister . The committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, the Secretary to the President, and four to six eminent persons . The committee’s recommendations are then submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval .
The awards are usually presented by the President of India in March or April each year at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan . Awardees receive a certificate and a medallion . The total number of awards in a year (excluding posthumous awards and those to NRIs, foreigners, and OCIs) is limited to 120 . A higher category of Padma award can typically be conferred on a person only after at least five years have passed since receiving an earlier Padma award, though exceptions can be made in highly deserving cases . The awards do not amount to a title and cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardee’s name .
Recent Awards:
1) In 2024, five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri Awards were conferred .
2) The 2025 list of Padma Awards includes Total 139 in which 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri Awards . Notable recipients in 2025 include M.T. Vasudevan Nair (posthumous), Osamu Suzuki (posthumous), Sharda Sinha (posthumous), D. Nageshwar Reddy, Jagdish Singh Khehar, Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia, and L. Subramaniam for Padma Vibhushan; Shekhar Kapur, Pankaj Udhas (posthumous), Bibek Debroy (posthumous), and Manohar Joshi (posthumous) for Padma Bhushan; and Arijit Singh, Ricky Kej, Harvinder Singh Dhanju, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prashanth Prakash, and Vijayalakshmi Deshamane for Padma Shri .for awards & honors news click www.eminentnews.com
