Veteran actor Dharmendra and Left stalwart and former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan have been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously on the occasion of the Republic Day 2026, while late JMM founder and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, singer Alka Yagnik, tennis maestro Vijay Amritraj, and Malayalam superstar Mammottty are among the recipients of the Padma Bhushan.
President Droupadi Murmu has approved the conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including 2 duo cases (where the Award is counted as one), an official statement said.
As per the list, announced on the eve of the Republic Day, there are 5 Padma Vibhushans, 13 Padma Bhushans and 113 Padma Shri Awards.
As many as 19 of the awardees are women, while the list also includes six foreigners/NRI/PIO/ OCI recipients. Sixteen awards are posthumous.
The other awardees of the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest national award, are K.T. Thomas (Public Affairs), classical violinist N Rajam (Art), and P. Narayanan (Literature and Education).
The Padma Bhushan awardees include former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. US-based Dr Nori Dattatreyudu, late advertising maestro Piyush Pandey, businessman Uday Kotak, veteran BJP leader and former MP V.K. Malhotra, and influential Kerala community leader and SNDP Yogam supremo Vellappally Natesan.
Among the recipients of the Padma Shri are India women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, former Indian men's cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, former UGC Chairman JNU Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, veteran actor Satish Shah (posthumous), women's hockey player Savita Punia, Tollywood legend Prosenjit Chatterjee, among others.
The Padma Awards, among the country's most prestigious civilian honours, are given in three categories -- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
Banking veteran Uday Kotak awarded Padma Bhushan on Republic Day's eve
Uday Kotak's journey is seen as one of the most remarkable success stories in India's financial sector.
In the early 1990s, Kotak Finance expanded into areas such as auto loans, investment banking and stockbroking at a time when India was opening up its economy.
The timing proved crucial, as economic liberalisation in 1991 created new opportunities for private financial institutions.
When Uday Kotak started out, he did not come from a well-known business family and did not have the backing of large investors.
Many potential clients were hesitant to trust a new company with their money. Despite these challenges, Kotak focused on building his business on principles of honesty, transparency and low-risk lending.
His decisions were measured and driven by logic rather than aggressive expansion.
The company's early growth was powered by a modest loan of Rs 30 lakh borrowed from family and friends, which was used to start a bill discounting business.
Over time, this small beginning laid the foundation for what would become one of India's largest private banking groups.
Today, Kotak Mahindra Bank stands as the fourth-largest private sector bank in India, reflecting decades of steady growth and disciplined leadership.
The Padma Bhushan recognises Uday Kotak's lasting impact on India's banking and financial landscape and his role in shaping a strong and credible private financial institution in the post-liberalisation era.
The Padma Awards are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/fields of activities, viz., art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. 'Padma Vibhushan' is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; 'Padma Bhushan' for distinguished service of high order, and 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field.
(With inputs from IANS)
