Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 25 : Kailash Chandra Pant selected for the Padma Shri award- one of India's highest civilian honours- on Sunday said that the honour was not only a matter of pride for him but also for everyone working in the fields of education and literature.
Pant from Madhya Pradesh will be conferred with the Padma Shri in 2026 in the category of Literature and Education.
Speaking to ANI, Pant said he had earlier received the Nehru Literacy Award from former President APJ Abdul Kalam in recognition of his contribution to education. He added that his literary work primarily focuses on critical essays, along with a few independent writings.
Pant said the Padma Shri recognition in the fields of literature and education reflects the collective efforts of all those dedicated to promoting learning and literary pursuits across the country.
"This honour received in the fields of literature and education is not only a matter of great pride for me, but also for all those who are working in the field of education and those who are deeply involved in literature. As far as my literary work is concerned, it is mainly based on critical essays, and I have also written some independent works... In the field of education, I received the Nehru Literacy Award in Delhi from the hands of then President Abdul Kalam," Pant told ANI.
For the year 2026, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday approved the conferment of 131 Padma awards for 2026, including two duo cases counted as single awards, and Bollywood actor Dharmendra Singh Deol and former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan as recipients for Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards, recognising distinguished service across a wide range of fields.
Ninety awardees are women and the list includes six persons from the category of foreigners, NRI, PIO and OCI, and 16 posthumous awardees acording to a statemet from the governmnt.
The Padma Vibhushan awardees include actor Dharmendra Singh Deol (posthumous) for Art from Maharashtra; former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas for Public Affairs from Kerala; violin maestro N Rajam for Art from Uttar Pradesh; eminent Malyalam journalist P Narayanan for Literature and Education from Kerala; as well as veteran left leader and former Kerala CM Achuthanandan (posthumous) for Public Affairs.
Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
The Awards are given in various disciplines / fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. 'Padma Vibhushan' is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; 'Padma Bhushan' for
distinguished service of high order and 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
Acording to a statement by the Home Ministry, these Awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March / April every year.