Padma Awards 2026 Honour Top Education Leaders and Scholars
Former UGC chief Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar and IIT Madras director V Kamakoti among 131 Padma awardees for contributions to education and science.
The Padma Awards 2026, announced on Republic Day, recognize 131 distinguished individuals across various fields with India’s prestigious civilian honours: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. In the education and literature sector, veteran journalist Shri P Narayanan from Kerala received the Padma Vibhushan for exceptional service. The Padma Shri category features prominent names including former UGC Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (Delhi) and IIT Madras Director Veezhinathan Kamakoti (Tamil Nadu), honouring their impactful work in higher education, research, and innovation.
Other notable Padma Shri recipients in Literature and Education include scholars and linguists such as Asok Kumar Haldar (West Bengal), Charan Hembram (Odisha), Prof. Shafi Shauq (Jammu and Kashmir), Sivasankari (Tamil Nadu), and Vempaty Kutumba Sastry (Andhra Pradesh). The awards also celebrate contributions in tribal languages, folk traditions, and academic administration across states like Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Tripura.
In the Science and Engineering domain, Padma Shri honours went to experts like A E Muthunayagam (Kerala), Kumarasamy Thangaraj (Telangana), Krishnamurty Balasubramanian (Telangana), and Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar (Karnataka) for advancements in technology, research, and engineering. This year’s list includes two unique “duo cases” where awards were jointly conferred: Gayatri Balasubramanian and Ranjani Balasubramanian (Tamil Nadu) in Art, and Ramchandra Godbole and Suneeta Godbole (Chhattisgarh) in Medicine.
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The Padma Awards, conferred by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan ceremonies typically held in March or April, continue to celebrate outstanding achievements that enrich India’s cultural, educational, and scientific landscape.
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