President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Awards 2026 during the Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, recognising outstanding contributions made by personalities across cinema, sports, public affairs, literature, education, medicine, trade and social service.

The Padma Awards are among India's highest civilian honours and are presented every year to individuals for exceptional achievements in their respective fields. This year, the Union government announced 131 awardees across the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri categories. Several prominent personalities from entertainment, sports and business were honoured during the ceremony held in the presence of dignitaries and invited guests.

Veteran actor Dharmendra was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to Indian cinema, with Hema Malini accepting the honour on his behalf. Advertising veteran Piyush Pandey received the Padma Bhushan, while Indian women's cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur was conferred the Padma Shri for her achievements in cricket.

Other notable recipients included Malayalam superstar Mammootty, singer Alka Yagnik, actor R Madhavan, Prosenjit Chatterjee and former CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar. The ceremony also recognised achievers from fields such as literature, medicine, social work and education, highlighting the diversity of talent and service celebrated through the Padma Awards.

Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, former UGC Chairman - Literature and Education

K Pajanivel - Traditional martial arts

Satyanarayan Nuwal, Solar Group chairman-Defence manufacturing ecosystem

Kailash Chandra Pantenior, senior journalist

Praveen Kumar, Paralympic gold medalist

Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian women's cricket team captain

R. Krishnan Kitna (Posthumous)