- Actor Madhavan, ex-UGC chief among 113 Padma Shri awardees
Context: The Centre announced the names of 113 recipients of the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, for 2026.
- Among the awardees are M. Jagadesh Kumar, former Chairman of the University Grants Commission; R.V.S. Mani, former Under Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs; Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati; and archaeologist Budha Krishna Mani, who led excavations in Ayodhya and Sarnath.
- Aerospace scientist Chandramouli Gaddamanugu, who directed the Akash missile system from development to deployment during Operation Sindoor, and ISRO scientist A.E. Muthunayagam, who led the cryogenic propulsion system, have also been awarded the Padma Shri. Actors R. Madhavan, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Arvind Vaidya (known for Sarabhai vs Sarabhai), Anil Kumar Rastogi, and Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad are also among the awardees.
- The sportspersons recognised include cricketers Rohit Sharma, captain of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, and Harmanpreet Kaur, who led India to its first women’s ODI World Cup victory, as well as hockey players Savita Punia and Baldev Singh, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.
- K. Vijay Kumar, the former CRPF D-G and chief of the STF that killed poacher Veerappan; Ramamurthy Sreedher, the founder of community radio in India; and Satyanarayan Nuwal, the founder of India’s first licensed private defence company, which pioneered manufacturing of indigenous ammunition, have also been awarded the Padma Shri.
- The award has also been given to Ashok Khade, a self-made entrepreneur from a Dalit cobbler family, who established a cutting-edge offshore fabrication company; Ashok Kumar Singh, an agriculture scientist who developed over 25 rice varieties; and Dalit author Asok Kumar Haldar, who wrote inspiring literature while being a railway guard.
- Forty-five people were named under the “unsung heroes” category of the award.