President Droupadi Murmu Confers Padma Awards 2026 - 66 Eminent Personalities Honoured at First Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan | Current Affairs

President Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Awards on 66 distinguished personalities during the first Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, recognising exceptional contributions across arts, public affairs, sports, medicine, and industry. The ceremony was attended by Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with other senior dignitaries. During the ceremony, the President presented 2 Padma Vibhushan, 6 Padma Bhushan, and 58 Padma Shri awards.

Among the biggest highlights of the ceremony was the posthumous conferment of the prestigious Padma Vibhushan on legendary Bollywood actor Dharmendra for his contribution to Indian cinema. The award was received by actor and BJP MP Hema Malini on his behalf. Renowned violin maestro N. Rajam was also honoured with the Padma Vibhushan for her immense contribution to Indian classical music. The President also conferred the Padma Bhushan on banker Uday Kotak, while Indian women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur was conferred with the Padma Shri.

For 2026, the government approved 131 Padma Awards in total, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri honours. The remaining recipients will be honoured in the second phase of the investiture ceremony later this year. Among the awardees, 19 are women, while 16 individuals were conferred posthumously.

Background: The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian honours in India, instituted in 1954 by the Government of India. They are conferred in three categories - Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (for distinguished service of a high order), and Padma Shri (for distinguished service). The awards are presented across a wide range of fields including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service. The names of awardees are announced annually on Republic Day (January 26), and the physical awards are conferred at investiture ceremonies held at Rashtrapati Bhavan typically in spring. The awards were suspended briefly between 1977-1980 and 1993-1997 before being revived.

The Ministry of Home Affairs administers the Padma Awards. The President of India confers these awards as the Constitutional Head of State. These awards do not constitute titles and cannot be used as prefix or suffix to the awardee's name, as per the Supreme Court ruling in 1996.

Why in News: The Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony is one of the most exam-relevant events of the year for SSC CGL, Banking, UPSC, and Railway examinations. Questions from this topic appear almost every year in the General Awareness sections, covering the categories of the awards, notable awardees, fields of honour, posthumous awards, and the constitutional framework. The 2026 ceremony is particularly notable for the posthumous Padma Vibhushan to Dharmendra, honours to N. Rajam, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Uday Kotak.

Key Points to Remember:

Venue: Ganatantra Mandap, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
Date of first Civil Investiture Ceremony: 25 May 2026
President Droupadi Murmu conferred awards; VP C.P. Radhakrishnan, PM Modi, HM Amit Shah attended
Total Padma Awards 2026: 131 (announced on Republic Day 2026)
Breakdown: 5 Padma Vibhushan + 13 Padma Bhushan + 113 Padma Shri
Women awardees: 19; Posthumous awardees: 16
Awards conferred in first ceremony: 66 (2 Padma Vibhushan + 6 Padma Bhushan + 58 Padma Shri)
Padma Vibhushan (posthumous): Dharmendra - for Indian cinema (award received by Hema Malini)
Padma Vibhushan: N. Rajam - for Indian classical music (violin)
Padma Vibhushan: P. Narayanan - for literature and education (veteran journalist and writer)
Padma Bhushan: Uday Kotak - banking/industry
Padma Bhushan: Bhagat Singh Koshyari - public affairs (former CM Uttarakhand, former Governor Maharashtra)
Padma Shri: Harmanpreet Kaur - sports (Indian women's cricket team captain)
Padma Shri: Prosenjit Chatterjee - cinema (Bengali actor)
Second phase of investiture ceremony to be held later in 2026

Related Static GK:

Padma Awards instituted: 1954 by Government of India
Administered by: Ministry of Home Affairs
Announced: Every year on Republic Day (26 January)
Three categories: Padma Vibhushan (highest) > Padma Bhushan > Padma Shri
Awards were suspended: 1977-1980 and 1993-1997; revived in 1980 and 1998
Supreme Court (1996): Padma Awards are not titles, cannot be used as prefix/suffix to names
Bharat Ratna: India's highest civilian award (instituted 1954); Padma Vibhushan is the second highest
President of India (2026): Droupadi Murmu (25th President; took office July 25, 2022)
Rashtrapati Bhavan: Official residence of the President of India; located on Raisina Hill, New Delhi; designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker
N. Rajam: Legendary Hindustani classical violinist; associated with Banaras Hindu University; trained generations of musicians
Harmanpreet Kaur: Captain of Indian women's cricket team; belongs to Punjab; known for her historic T20I performances
Uday Kotak: Founder and former MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank; one of India's leading private sector bankers