The President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Awards for the year 2026 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 25 May 2026 with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior ministers in attendance. The President conferred the awards on 66 distinguished personalities in the first phase of the investiture ceremony, honouring achievers from public affairs, arts, literature, education, medicine, business and industry, social service, sports, science and engineering and grassroots cultural traditions. The remaining recipients will be honoured in a second Civil Investiture Ceremony to be held later in 2026. For 2026, the Union Government has approved 131 Padma Awards, comprising five Padma Vibhushan, thirteen Padma Bhushan and one hundred thirteen Padma Shri honours, instituted in 1954 and announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. Padma Vibhushan recognises exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan acknowledges distinguished service of a high order and Padma Shri honours distinguished service in any field. The awards are conferred on the recommendation of the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister each year and chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. Posthumous awards are also granted, and the list includes a number of unsung heroes from rural India recognised through the Peoples Padma initiative launched in 2017. The awards carry a Sanad signed by the President and a medallion but no cash component. The Government has consistently emphasised that the Padma Awards process is now nomination based and citizen driven, with an open online portal for public nominations through the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal.