Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday, 25 May 2026 congratulated the recipients of the Padma Shri award, honouring their investiture by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The minister described the awardees' dedication and contributions as a continuing source of inspiration for the nation.

Context

Rijiju took to social media to extend his congratulations, writing that the awardees, 'honoured by Hon'ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji at Rashtrapati Bhavan,' continue to 'inspire the nation and strengthen the spirit of Bharat.' The post was accompanied by a video from the investiture ceremony and tagged the official handle of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Padma Awards are India's highest civilian honours, instituted in 1954, and are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. The Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian honour in the country, recognising distinguished service in various fields.

Policy Backdrop

The Padma Awards have been a cornerstone of India's civic recognition framework since their institution by the Government of India in 1954. They are conferred without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex, spanning fields including arts, literature, sciences, sports, medicine, and social service.

Awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day each year, with investiture ceremonies held subsequently at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Over successive administrations, the nomination process has been periodically refined to broaden representation from diverse regions and communities across the country.

Stakeholders and Impact

President Droupadi Murmu, who assumed office in July 2022 as the first tribal woman to hold the position, presided over the investiture ceremony. Her role in conferring the awards underscores the constitutional and ceremonial significance of the office in recognising civilian excellence.

Public acknowledgements from senior ministers such as Rijiju amplify the visibility of individual awardees and signal the government's commitment to celebrating contributions to nation-building across all walks of life. The Padma Shri recipients span a wide cross-section of Indian society, and their recognition is seen as affirming the country's pluralistic tradition of honouring achievement.

What's Next

The next cycle of Padma Awards is expected to be announced on the eve of Republic Day 2027, with nominations typically invited from the public and government departments in the months preceding the announcement. Investiture ceremonies for the current cycle may continue at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the coming weeks, as is customary when the number of awardees is large.

The sustained political attention on the Padma Awards reflects a broader governmental effort to position civilian honours as instruments of national integration, connecting citizens from varied backgrounds to a shared narrative of service and excellence.