The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, will confer the Padma Awards for the year 2026 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I to be held tomorrow at the Ganatantra Mandap, Rashtrapati Bhawan.

 

The ceremony will be attended by the Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, along with Union Ministers and other distinguished guests.

 

At the first Civil Investiture Ceremony, the President will present 66 Padma Awards, including 2 Padma Vibhushan, 6 Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri Awards. The remaining awardees will be honoured during Civil Investiture Ceremony-II, to be held at a later date.

 

The Padma Awards, among India’s highest civilian honours, recognise distinguished and exceptional service across diverse fields such as art, literature and education, social work, science and engineering, medicine, public affairs, sports, civil service, trade and industry, among others. The awards are conferred in three categories - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri and are announced every year on the occasion of Republic Day.

 

For 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma Awards, comprising 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards.

 

Among this year’s awardees, Odisha’s eminent educationist, linguist and folklorist Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra will receive the Padma Shri for his remarkable contribution to the preservation and promotion of tribal languages, indigenous knowledge systems and multilingual education. For more than four decades, Dr. Mishra has worked towards integrating endangered tribal languages and oral traditions into the education ecosystem, making significant contributions to safeguarding Odisha’s tribal heritage and cultural legacy.

 

Hailing from Kalahandi district, Dr. Mishra has earned national and international recognition for documenting tribal oral traditions, folklore and indigenous knowledge systems. He was conferred the UNESCO International Mother Language Award (2003), becoming the first Indian recipient of the distinction. 

Besides Dr. Mishra, Seemanchal Patra (Art), master weaver Sarat Kumar Patra and writer-educationist Charan Hembrom from Odisha will also be honoured with the Padma Shri during the subsequent Civil Investiture Ceremony.

 

Subhalaxmi/Swadhin/ Manoj

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