Padma Awards 2026: Uday Kotak named among Padma Bhushan recipients

NEW DELHI: Centre on Sunday announced the Padma Awards for 2026 on the eve of Republic Day, conferring the Padma Bhushan on veteran banker and industrialist Uday Kotak for his exceptional contribution to the financial sector, a government statement said.The Padma Awards, among India’s most prestigious civilian honours, are given in three categories—Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.On Republic Day eve, the government announced 131 Padma awards for 2026, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. The total includes two cases in which the award for two individuals is counted as one, the statement said.The awardees span a wide range of fields, including public life, arts, cinema, literature, sports, science and social service.Padma Vibhushan awardeesFormer Kerala chief minister and veteran communist leader V S Achuthanandan and actor Dharmendra have been awarded the Padma Vibhushan, posthumously, for 2026, the government said.Former Supreme Court judge K T Thomas (public affairs), Hindustani classical musician and violinist N Rajam (art), and eminent Malayalam journalist P Narayanan (literature and education) have also been named Padma Vibhushan awardees.Padma Bhushan recipientsAmong those awarded the Padma Bhushan are playback singer Alka Yagnik, former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, and actor Mammootty, the Home Ministry said.Advertising veteran Piyush Pandey, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha founder Shibu Soren, BJP leader V K Malhotra, and tennis legend Vijay Amritraj have also been conferred the Padma Bhushan.Padma Shri awardeesActor and comedian Satish Shah has been awarded the Padma Shri, posthumously, the ministry said. Cricketer Rohit Sharma, India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and hockey player Savita Punia are among those named Padma Shri awardees.Former Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, former Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, and actors R Madhavan and Prosenjit Chatterjee have also been awarded the Padma Shri.The list includes 90 women awardees, six persons from the categories of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and OCIs, and 16 posthumous awards, the statement added.