Padma Awards — India's Civilian Honours

Padma Vibhushan is the highest Padma Award, followed by Padma Bhushan, and then Padma Shri. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service to the nation.

Padma Awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day (January 26) every year. The awards are presented by the President of India at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Padma Awards are civilian honours and do not cover military service during wartime. Government servants are also not eligible except doctors and scientists. Wartime military gallantry is recognised by awards like Param Vir Chakra.

Indira Gandhi was the first woman to receive the Padma Vibhushan in 1955, when she was awarded for her contributions to public service. She later became the Prime Minister of India.

Padma Bhushan is awarded for distinguished service of a high order to the nation, without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex. Padma Vibhushan is for exceptional and distinguished service.

Nominations for Padma Awards are accepted from State/UT governments, Central Ministries, and members of the public through an online portal. The Padma Awards Committee then recommends names to the Prime Minister and the President.

Padma Awards were discontinued from 1977 to 1980 during the Janata Party government under Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who considered them inconsistent with democratic values. They were revived in 1980.

Sachin Tendulkar received the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, recognising his outstanding contribution to cricket. He had earlier received the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2001.

Foreign nationals can be awarded Padma Awards as honorary recipients. They do not get the same entitlements as Indian recipients but the award is a mark of recognition for their contributions to India or Indo-foreign relations.

Lata Mangeshkar received the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. She had earlier received the Padma Bhushan in 1969. She later received the Bharat Ratna in 2001, becoming one of the few people to receive both in the same year.

As per guidelines, the total number of Padma Awards in a year is generally limited to 120. This includes all three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri — excluding posthumous and NRI/OCI/PIO/foreign nationals awards.

Ravi Shankar received the Padma Vibhushan in 1981 for his outstanding contribution to classical music, particularly the sitar. He played a key role in popularising Indian classical music internationally.

Padma Awards can be awarded posthumously in highly deserving cases as per the revised guidelines. This was a change from the original rules which did not allow posthumous awards for most civilian honours.

The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and four to six eminent persons as members. The committee's recommendations go to the Prime Minister and then to the President for approval.

Manu Bhaker, the shooter, received the Padma Shri in 2020 at around 18 years of age, making her one of the youngest recipients. She became a multiple-medal winner at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Ministry of Home Affairs processes and manages the Padma Awards. Nominations are received through the Ministry's portal and reviewed by the Padma Awards Committee before being forwarded for final approval.

APJ Abdul Kalam received the Padma Bhushan in 1981 for his distinguished service in science and engineering. He later received the Padma Vibhushan in 1990, and finally the Bharat Ratna in 1997.

Sonal Mansingh received the Padma Vibhushan in 2002 for her contributions to classical dance, especially Bharatanatyam and Odissi. She is also a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.

Rahul Dravid received the Padma Bhushan in 2005 for his outstanding contribution to cricket. Known as 'The Wall', Dravid was one of India's most dependable Test batsmen and later became the head coach of the Indian cricket team.