Padma Awards 2026 Ceremony Held at Rashtrapati Bhavan

The first phase of the prestigious Padma Awards 2026 ceremony was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

President Droupadi Murmu presented awards to 66 distinguished personalities for their exceptional contributions in arts, sports, medicine, public affairs and industry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several Union Ministers attended the event.

Padma Awards 2026 - First Phase Distribution

• Padma Vibhushan - 2
• Padma Bhushan - 6
• Padma Shri - 58

Key Highlights

• Legendary actor Dharmendra received the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
• Veteran actress Hema Malini accepted the award on his behalf.
• Renowned violinist Dr. N. Rajam also received the Padma Vibhushan.
• Indian women's cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur received the Padma Shri award.

Total Padma Awards Approved for 2026

• Padma Vibhushan - 5
• Padma Bhushan - 13
• Padma Shri - 113
• Total Awards - 131

India Hosts First BRICS Tourism Working Group Meeting 2026

India, as the chair of BRICS 2026, successfully hosted the first BRICS Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting virtually. The meeting focused on strengthening tourism cooperation among member nations.

Theme of the Meeting

"Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"

Major Priorities Proposed by India

AI in Tourism

India emphasized the role of Artificial Intelligence in improving travel experiences, smart destination management and tourism analytics.

Sustainable Tourism

The meeting focused on eco-friendly tourism practices and reducing environmental impact.

Skill Development

India proposed cooperation in hospitality training, entrepreneurship and tourism workforce development.

Seamless Travel

Member countries discussed improving travel connectivity and tourism exchanges.

Upcoming BRICS Tourism Meetings

2nd BRICS Tourism Working Group Meeting

• Date: 19-20 August 2026
• Venue: Jaipur

BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting

• Date: 21-22 August 2026
• Venue: Jaipur

ICMR Transfers 41 Healthcare Technologies to Industries

The Indian Council of Medical Research organized India's largest biomedical innovation and technology transfer event in New Delhi under the initiative "Medical Innovations Patent Mitra: Innovators-to-Industry (I2I) Connect".

Key Highlights

• 41 public healthcare technologies transferred to industry partners.
• Focus areas include:
  • Advanced diagnostics
  • Vaccines
  • Medical devices
  • Public health solutions

Historic Achievement

For the first time in India, inactive biomaterials related to:

• Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD)
• Chandipura Virus

were transferred to industries for vaccine and healthcare research.

Importance of the Initiative

• Bridges the gap between laboratories and markets
• Encourages healthcare startups
• Accelerates commercialization of medical innovations

Central Government Launches PM-AJAY Portal and Mobile App

The Union Government launched the PM-AJAY Portal and AJAY Mobile App to improve transparency and monitoring of welfare schemes for Scheduled Castes (SCs).

Features of PM-AJAY

• Tracks development in over 47,000 villages
• Monitors benefits for over 40 lakh beneficiaries
• Real-time digital governance and fund tracking

Mobile App Features

• Offline surveys
• Digital beneficiary registration
• Geo-tagged infrastructure verification
• Instant report uploads

The initiative aims to strengthen paperless governance under the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Major Sports Governance Reforms Introduced in India

The Ministry of Sports issued operational rules for:

• National Sports Board (NSB)
• National Sports Tribunal (NST)

under the National Sports Governance Act.

Functions of National Sports Board

• Recognition of sports federations
• Ethical and financial monitoring
• Governance reforms in sports bodies

Features of National Sports Tribunal

• Online dispute filing
• Virtual hearings
• Digital document submission
• Faster dispute resolution

These reforms are expected to improve transparency and reduce legal delays in Indian sports administration.

Indian Railways Launches CHIRAG Centre in Hyderabad

Indian Railways inaugurated the CHIRAG Centre (Centre for HR Information Systems, Research and Analytics in Governance) at Hyderabad.