NEW DELHI: The nation is set to mark its annual tribute to ordinary Indians making extraordinary contributions at home and beyond by honouring them with the Padma Awards as ‘unsung heroes’, ahead of the 77th Republic Day celebrations. The Padma Award, one of the highest civilian honours of the country, is a recognition of the wide and diverse range of unsung heroes from across the country, for a lifetime of dedicated service to Bharat Mata.
At least 45 ‘unsung heroes’ have been selected for having demonstrated excellence in their respective fields, such as social work, literature and education, healthcare, public service and community welfare, despite personal adversities.
Kailashchand, Brij Lal Bhatt, Dr Shyam Sundar and many more are among the noted and distinguished personalities chosen for the honour.
The Padma Awards are presented by the President at ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital.
Spotlight on this year’s Padma awardees
Here’s the full list of Padma Awardees (under ‘unsung heroes’ category): Bhagwandas Raikar (Madhya Pradesh), Bhiklya Ladkya Dhinda (Maharashtra), Brij Lal Bhatt (Jammu and Kashmir), Charan Hembram (Odisha), Chiranjee Lal Yadav (Uttar Pradesh), Dr Padma Gurmet (Jammu and Kashmir), Kollakkaiyil Devaki Amma Ji (Kerala), Mahendra Kumar Mishra (Odisha), Naresh Chandra Dev Verma (Tripura), Othuvar Thiruthani (Tamil Nadu), Raghupat Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Raghuveer Khedkar (Maharashtra), Rajastapathi Kalaiyappa Gounder (Tamil Nadu), Sangyusang S. Pongener (Nagaland), Shrirang Devba Lad (Maharashtra), Thiruvarur Bakthavatsalam (Tamil Nadu), Anke Gowda (Karnataka), Armida Fernandes (Maharashtra), Dr Shyam Sundar (Uttar Pradesh), Gaffaruddin Mewati (Rajasthan), Khem Raj Sundriyal (Haryana), Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai (Gujarat), Mohan Nagar (Madhya Pradesh), Nilesh Mandlewala (Gujarat), R & S Godbole (Chhattisgarh), Ram Reddy Mamidi (Telangana), Simanchal Patro (Odisha), Suresh Hanagwadi (Karnataka), Techi Gubin (Arunachal Pradesh), Yumnam Jatra Singh (Manipur), Budhri Tathi (Chhattisgarh), Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj (Telangana), Dr Punniyamurthy Natarajan (Tamil Nadu), Haily War (Meghalaya), Inderjit Singh Sidhu (Chandigarh), Pazhanivel (Puducherry), Kailash Chandra Pant (Madhya Pradesh), Nuruddin Ahmed (Assam), Pokila Lektepi (Assam), Krishnan (Tamil Nadu), S.G. Sushilemma (Karnataka), Taga Ram Bhil (Rajasthan), Vishva Bandhu (Bihar), Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya (Gujarat) and Shafi Shauq (Jammu and Kashmir).
In the field of Literature and Education, Charan Hembram from Odisha and Anke Gowda from Karnataka will be conferred the Padma Shri 2026, while Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai from Gujarat, Raghuveer Tukaram Khedkar from Maharashtra and Khem Raj Sundriyal from Haryana will be conferred the Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Art.
Rajastapathi Kaliappa Goundar from Tamil Nadu will also be conferred the Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Art. A veteran bronze sculptor with nearly five decades of mastery, he founded Balamurugan Bronze Arts Works. He is known for large-scale sacred sculptures that blend classical Agama traditions with contemporary craftsmanship.
Kollakkayil Devaki Amma G from Kerala will be conferred the Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Environment-Afforestation, while Mohan Nagar from Madhya Pradesh will be conferred the Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Environmentalist.
Raghupat Singh from Uttar Pradesh will be conferred the award in the field of Agriculture. Raghupat, a farmer with over five decades of experience, introduced several innovations in seed preservation and purification and developed more than 100 plant varieties, including a 1.5-metre bottle gourd.
In the field of Social Work, Inderjit Singh Sidhu from Chandigarh, Budri Thati from Chhattisgarh, Brij Lal Bhat from Jammu and Kashmir, and Hally War from Meghalaya will be conferred the Padma Shri 2026, while Bhagwandas Raikwar from Madhya Pradesh will be conferred the Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Sports.
Dr Padma Gurmet from Ladakh, Armida Fernandes from Maharashtra and Dr Shyam Sundar from Uttar Pradesh will be conferred the Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Medicine. Also, Ramchandra and Sunita Gorbole will be conferred the award in the same field, as they brought affordable healthcare to tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. Despite risks and limited resources, they pioneered the Bastar Rural Healthcare Project in Naxal-affected areas, treated over one lakh tribals, provided nutritional support to anaemic children, and trained locals in first aid and disease prevention.
The Padma Awards are conferred in three categories, namely Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.
The Award is given to individuals for serving the nation, irrespective of their community, religion, caste or creed, including individuals from marginalised Backwards and Dalit communities, primitive tribes and from remote and difficult terrains. The list includes names of the individuals who have devoted their lives to serving Divyangjan, women, children, Dalits, and tribal communities, to advancing healthcare, education, livelihoods, sanitation, sustainability, to preserving India’s indigenous heritage and fostering national integration in border states, to promoting tribal languages and traditional martial arts, to safeguarding dying crafts and weaves, to protecting the nation’s ecological wealth and championing cleanliness and so on.
Agencies