The Government of India on Saturday announced the recipients of the Padma Awards 2026, one of the nation’s highest civilian honours, recognising exceptional contributions across arts, literature, science, social service, medicine, and public administration. This year, several awardees hail from states set to hold assembly elections, highlighting local heroes alongside national icons.
Padma Awardees from Kerala
Seven individuals from Kerala have been honoured: KT Thomas (Public Sector), P Narayan (Literature & Education), VS Achuthanandan (Public Sector), Mammootty (Arts), Vellappally Natesan (Public Sector), AE Mathunayagam (Science & Engineering), Kalamandalam Vimala Menon (Arts), and Kollakal Devaki Amma (Social Work).
Padma Awardees from Assam
Five recipients from Assam include Haricharan Saikia (Arts), Kabindra Purkayastha (Public Sector), Nuruddin Ahmed (Arts), and Pokhila Lekthepi (Arts).
Padma Awardees from Bengal
Eleven individuals from West Bengal have been recognised: Ashok Kumar Halder (Literature & Education), Gambhir Singh Yonjon (Literature & Education), Hari Madhav Mukhopadhyay (Arts), Jyotish Debnath (Arts), Kumar Bose (Arts), Mahendra Nath (Literature & Education), Prosenjit Chatterjee (Arts), Ravi Lal Tudu (Literature & Education), Saroj Mandal (Medicine), Tarun Bhattacharya (Arts), and Tripti Mukherjee (Arts).
Padma Awardees from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu leads with 13 awardees: Kallipatti Ramaswami Palaniswami (Medicine), SKM Mailanandan (Social Work), Gayatri Balasubramaniam & Rajini Balasubramaniam (Arts), HV Hande (Medicine), K Rama Swamy (Science & Engineering), K Vijay Kumar (Civil Service), Othuvar Thiruthani Swaminathan (Arts), Puniamoorthy Natesan (Medicine), R Krishnan (Arts), Rajasthapati Kaliappa Gounder (Arts), Siva Shankari (Education & Literature), and Thiruvarur Bakthavatsalam (Arts).
Padma Awardee from Tripura
King Chandra Dev Varma of Tripura has been awarded for his contributions.
The Padma Awards, announced ahead of Republic Day, will be formally presented by the President of India at a ceremonial function at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These awards celebrate individuals who have made outstanding contributions to India’s social, cultural, and scientific landscape.