Tamil actor Ajith, late Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair, actor-MLA Balakrishna, Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, playback singer Arijit Singh and Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) leader Manda Krishna Madiga are among the 139 recipients of the Padma Awards this year. The awards, as usual, were announced on the eve of Republic day. Visionary auto industry leader and founder of Suzuki Motors Osamu Suzuki,Bihar folk music legend Sharda Sinha, politician Sushil Kumar, Ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas, Economist and author Bibek Debroy have been awarded posthumously.
According to an official statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 139 awards have been announced this year, including seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Paddma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. The awards are also given to 13 posthumous awardees.
Here is a full list of the awardees:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the awardees. “Congratulations to all the Padma awardees! India is proud to honour and celebrate their extraordinary achievements. Their dedication and perseverance are truly motivating. Each awardee is synonymous with hardwork, passion and innovation, which has positively impacted countless lives. They teach us the value of striving for excellence and serving society selflessly,” he said.
All the awards are conferred by the President at ceremonial functions which are held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually around March or April every year. For the year 2025, the President has approved conferment of 139 Padma Awards including 1 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one).
Padma awards, one of the highest civilian awards of the country, are conferred in
three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The awards are given in various disciplines or fields of activities — art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
'Padma Vibhushan' is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, 'Padma Bhushan' for distinguished service of high order and 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.