New Delhi, 23 June (H.S.): President Droupadi Murmu will confer 65 Padma Awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday evening. Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers and other dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremony.

The awards to be presented include two Padma Vibhushan, seven Padma Bhushan and 56 Padma Shri honours. Among the prominent awardees are former Union Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha founder Shibu Soren, tennis player Vijay Amritraj, actor Mammootty and singer Alka Yagnik.

Shibu Soren has been selected for a posthumous Padma Bhushan. P. Narayanan and former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas will receive the Padma Vibhushan in the fields of Literature and Education and Public Affairs, respectively.

Other Padma Bhushan awardees include S.K.M. Maeilanandhan, Vellappally Natesan and Dr Dattatreyudu Nori. The list of awardees also includes foreign nationals from the United States, Russia and Georgia.

The ceremony, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., is the second Civil Investiture Ceremony for the Padma Awards 2026. Earlier, on May 25, President Murmu conferred 65 Padma Awards, including two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan and 57 Padma Shri honours.

Padma Awards, among the country's highest civilian honours, are conferred annually in the categories of Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri for distinguished contributions in various fields, including art, literature, education, medicine, science, public affairs, sports and social service.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar