Delhi, January 25, 2025: The Padma Awards, among India’s most prestigious civilian honors, were announced today to celebrate exceptional contributions across diverse fields. These awards are conferred annually in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. Recognizing excellence in areas like art, social work, public affairs, science, engineering, trade, industry, medicine, education, literature, sports, and civil service, the awards signify the nation’s gratitude towards outstanding individuals.
The Padma Vibhushan honors extraordinary and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan acknowledges distinguished service of high order, and Padma Shri recognizes distinguished service in any field. The awards are traditionally announced on Republic Day and later conferred by the President of India during a ceremonial event at Rashtrapati Bhavan, typically held in March or April.
For 2025, 139 Padma Awards have been approved by the President, including 1 duo award, which is counted as one. This year’s list comprises:
- 7 Padma Vibhushan
- 19 Padma Bhushan
- 113 Padma Shri
Among the awardees, 23 are women, while 10 awardees belong to the Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI category. Additionally, 13 awards have been given posthumously.
Highlights of the Padma Vibhushan (7 Awardees):
- Dr. Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy (Medicine, Telangana)
- Justice (Retd.) Jagdish Singh Khehar (Public Affairs, Chandigarh)
- Smt. Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia (Art, Gujarat)
- Shri Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (Art, Karnataka)
- Shri M. T. Vasudevan Nair (Posthumous, Literature & Education, Kerala)
- Shri Osamu Suzuki (Posthumous, Trade & Industry, Japan)
- Smt. Sharda Sinha (Posthumous, Art, Bihar)
Highlights of the Padma Bhushan (19 Awardees):
- Prominent recipients include Anant Nag (Art, Karnataka), Jose Chacko Periappuram (Medicine, Kerala), and Vinod Dham (Science & Engineering, USA).
- Posthumous awards were presented to figures like Bibek Debroy (Literature & Education, Delhi) and Manohar Joshi (Public Affairs, Maharashtra).
Highlights of the Padma Shri (113 Awardees):
- The recipients span a range of fields, such as Arijit Singh (Art, West Bengal), Ashutosh Sharma (Science & Engineering, Uttar Pradesh), and R. Ashwin (Sports, Tamil Nadu).
- International awardees include Ajay V. Bhatt (Science & Engineering, USA) and Stephen Knapp (Literature & Education, USA).
- Posthumous honors include individuals like Chandrakant Sheth (Literature & Education, Gujarat) and Miriyala Apparao (Art, Andhra Pradesh).
The Padma Awards 2025 reflect India’s rich diversity and the remarkable contributions of individuals who have made an indelible impact on society.
