President Droupadi Murmu to confer 65 Padma Awards at Second Civil Investiture Ceremony today

NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Padma Awards 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday. In the second Civil Investiture Ceremony, the President will confer a total of 65 Padma Awards, including two Padma Vibhushan, seven Padma Bhushan, and 56 Padma Shri awards.

Padma Shri awardee and Director of the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa, Dr Padma Gurmet, expressed his happiness for receiving the award for the preservation and promotion of the Himalayan medical tradition.

“It feels wonderful. This year, I have been honoured with the Padma Award for the preservation and promotion of the Himalayan medical tradition. Conferring this recognition on a person like me, who is from such a remote area in Ladakh, is a great achievement not only for me but also for the Sowa-Rigpa community,” he said.

Another Padma Shri awardee, Dr Prabhakar Basaprabhu Kore, Chairman of the Karnataka Lingayat Education (KLE) Society, hails from Karnataka’s Belagavi district. Sharing his professional journey, he said he had devoted 42 years of his life to providing education to children in rural areas where educational facilities were lacking.

#WATCH | Delhi | Padma Shri awardee Dr Prabhakar Basaprabhu Kore, Chairman of Karnataka Lingayat Education Society, says, “… I am very happy to receive this Padma Shri award. The government, the Prime Minister, the President, and the Home Minister have recognised me. Thank you… pic.twitter.com/aPJfQkqJc1

— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2026

He stated that he had established nearly 320 schools and colleges, including technical colleges and a technical university. At present, around 1.48 lakh students are studying in institutions run by his organisation.

Kore further said that his organisation operates a healthcare network comprising rural medical centres and satellite centres, along with a hospital with more than 5,000 beds. Of these, 1,200 beds have been reserved for free treatment of underprivileged patients.

“At the same time, I work with farmers in the cooperative sector. I am the founder chairman of a cooperative sugar factory. There are more than 40,000 members, and it is one of the best cooperative factories in Karnataka,” he said.

Haematologist Suresh Hanagavadi, who has spent four decades working to treat haemophilia, a rare blood disorder, will also be conferred with the Padma Shri award. Sharing his dedication to the profession, he expressed happiness over the recognition of his work.

“I am truly very grateful to the Government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recognising my 40 years of commitment in this field. I am also suffering from haemophilia. That made me determined to become a doctor. I would like to dedicate this honour to all my blood brothers, my haemophilia family, and to everyone who supported my initiatives and efforts,” he said.

The first Civil Investiture Ceremony was held on May 26, during which the President conferred 66 Padma Awards. (ANI)