Padma Awards 2026 and Bharat Ratna Notes for SSC Exams
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
In this note
- 1.Padma Awards: Basic Facts
- 2.Padma Awards 2026 at a Glance
- 3.Padma Vibhushan 2026
- 4.Some Well-Known Names of Padma Bhushan 2026
- 5.Sports Padma Shri 2026
- 6.Bharat Ratna: Important Facts
- 7.Bharat Ratna Awardees of 2024
- 8.Quick Tips
- 9.Quick Revision Points
- 10.Practice Questions With Answers
- 11.How to Practise This Chapter
- 12.Frequently Asked Questions
PDF Notes: Padma Awards 2026 and Bharat Ratna Notes for SSC Exams
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The Padma Awards and the Bharat Ratna are the highest civilian honours of India. Every year SSC General Awareness papers ask about the number of awardees, the Padma Vibhushan names and the facts of the awards. These Padma Awards 2026 and Bharat Ratna notes for SSC give the key facts and the 2026 list in short tables, with practice questions.
Padma Awards: Basic Facts
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Started in | 1954 |
| Announced | Every year on the eve of Republic Day (25 January) |
| Three categories | Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, in the order of rank |
| Meaning | Padma Vibhushan is for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service |
| Given by | The President of India, at an investiture ceremony, usually at Rashtrapati Bhavan |
| Is it a title? | No. The awards are not titles and cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the name |
Padma Awards 2026 at a Glance
| Category | Number of awardees |
|---|---|
| Padma Vibhushan | 5 |
| Padma Bhushan | 13 |
| Padma Shri | 113 |
| Total | 131 |
The awards for 2026 were announced on 25 January 2026. The list includes posthumous awardees, women awardees and some foreign, NRI and PIO awardees. Sources may differ in the small details of the list, so check the Padma Awards portal for the full official list.
Padma Vibhushan 2026
| Name | Field |
|---|---|
| Dharmendra (posthumous) | Art (cinema) |
| K. T. Thomas | Public affairs (former Supreme Court judge) |
| N. Rajam | Art (classical violinist) |
| P. Narayanan | Literature and education (journalism) |
| V. S. Achuthanandan (posthumous) | Public affairs (former Chief Minister of Kerala) |
Some Well-Known Names of Padma Bhushan 2026
- Alka Yagnik (singer)
- Mammootty (actor)
- Uday Kotak (banker)
- Bhagat Singh Koshyari (former Governor and Chief Minister)
- Piyush Pandey (advertising expert, posthumous)
- Vijay Amritraj (tennis player, the only sportsperson in the Padma Bhushan list)
Sports Padma Shri 2026
- Rohit Sharma (cricket)
- Harmanpreet Kaur (women's cricket)
- Savita Punia (hockey)
- Praveen Kumar (para athletics)
Bharat Ratna: Important Facts
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2 January 1954 |
| First awardees (1954) | C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman |
| Medal | Peepal leaf shaped medal, with the Sun and the words "Bharat Ratna" in Devanagari |
| Limit | Not more than three awards in a year (an exception was made in 2024) |
| Fields | Since 2011, any field of human endeavour |
| First woman awardee | Indira Gandhi (1971) |
| First foreigner awardees | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990) |
| First sportsperson | Sachin Tendulkar (2014) |
Bharat Ratna Awardees of 2024
- Karpoori Thakur (posthumous)
- L. K. Advani
- P. V. Narasimha Rao (posthumous)
- Chaudhary Charan Singh (posthumous)
- M. S. Swaminathan (posthumous)
With these five, the total number of Bharat Ratna awardees till 2024 was 53. Sources do not show a confirmed Bharat Ratna announcement after 2024, so check a government source for any update.
Quick Tips
- Learn the counts 5, 13 and 113 for the Padma awards of 2026, because the number-based question is common.
- Remember that Padma Vibhushan is the highest of the three Padma awards, and Bharat Ratna is above all of them.
- Learn the five Bharat Ratna names of 2024 as a group.
- Revise the sports names with their sport, because sports awardees are asked often.
Quick Revision Points
- The Padma Awards started in 1954.
- 131 Padma Awards were announced for 2026: 5, 13 and 113.
- Dharmendra and V. S. Achuthanandan received the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
- The Bharat Ratna was instituted on 2 January 1954.
- Sachin Tendulkar was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna.
Practice Questions With Answers
- How many Padma Awards were announced in 2026?
Answer: 131 - How many Padma Vibhushan awards were announced in 2026?
Answer: 5 - Which is the highest civilian award of India?
Answer: Bharat Ratna - In which year was the Bharat Ratna instituted?
Answer: 1954 - Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna?
Answer: Indira Gandhi (1971) - Who was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna?
Answer: Sachin Tendulkar (2014) - On what date are the Padma Awards announced every year?
Answer: 25 January, the eve of Republic Day - Which former Supreme Court judge received the Padma Vibhushan in 2026?
Answer: K. T. Thomas - Who received the Bharat Ratna in 2024 for agriculture and the Green Revolution?
Answer: M. S. Swaminathan - Which is the third-highest civilian award of India?
Answer: Padma Bhushan (after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan)
How to Practise This Chapter
Make a one-page chart of the Padma counts and names, and add the Bharat Ratna facts below it. Revise it twice a week. Then solve questions from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. Read the Important Days note and the Nobel Prize 2025 Winners note next. The Current Affairs notes page has the complete list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Padma Awards?
The Padma Awards are the civilian awards of India, given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. They honour distinguished service in different fields.
When were the Padma Awards 2026 announced?
The Padma Awards 2026 were announced on 25 January 2026, on the eve of Republic Day.
How many Padma Awards were announced for 2026?
A total of 131 Padma Awards were announced for 2026: 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri.
Who received the Padma Vibhushan in 2026?
The Padma Vibhushan 2026 went to Dharmendra (posthumous), K. T. Thomas, N. Rajam, P. Narayanan and V. S. Achuthanandan (posthumous).
Which sportspersons received Padma awards in 2026?
Vijay Amritraj received the Padma Bhushan. Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Savita Punia and Praveen Kumar are among the Padma Shri sportspersons.
What is the order of civilian awards in India?
The order is Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
What is the Bharat Ratna?
The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of India. It was instituted on 2 January 1954 and is given for exceptional service in any field of human endeavour.
Who received the Bharat Ratna in 2024?
In 2024 the Bharat Ratna was announced for Karpoori Thakur, L. K. Advani, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and M. S. Swaminathan.
How many Bharat Ratna awards can be given in a year?
Normally not more than three in a year, but in 2024 five awards were announced.
Who gives the Padma Awards?
The President of India gives the awards at a ceremony, usually at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Are Padma Awards titles?
No. The Constitution does not allow titles, so the awards cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the name.
How many questions come from awards in SSC exams?
Usually one or two questions come from awards and honours in SSC General Awareness papers, so it is an important current affairs topic.
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Important National and International Days List for SSC Exams
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Nobel Prize 2025 Winners List Notes for SSC Exams
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Rahul is a senior SSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CGL, CHSL and MTS exams. He writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.