Kollakkaiyil Devaki Amma (92), a resident of Muthukulam in Alappuzha district, has been selected for the Padma Shri 2026 in recognition of her work in the field of afforestation. She has been honoured for her 44 years of dedication to environmental conservation, during which she developed a five-acre man-made forest known as ‘Tapovanam’.

This elderly woman has been protecting over 3000 trees and plants in her forest.  She is the only awardee from Kerala this year.

The Union government announced the names of 45 Padma award recipients on Sunday, ahead of the 77th Republic Day celebrations. All the awardees have been chosen under the ‘Unsung Heroes’ category for their exceptional and consistent contributions to the nation. An official notification is expected to be issued by Sunday evening, according to reports.

The ‘Unsung Heroes’ category recognises individuals who have brought about transformative change through their quiet yet impactful work, often away from public attention. These individuals have worked tirelessly in their respective fields to create lasting social impact and improve the lives of others.

Among the awardees is Anke Gowda (75) from Karnataka, a former bus conductor who established ‘Pustak Mane’, the world’s largest free-access library. The library houses over two million books in 20 languages, along with rare manuscripts, and aims to promote learning and access to knowledge across the country.

The Padma awards this year seek to honour the unwavering commitment and lifelong efforts of these individuals who have played a key role in driving positive change at the grassroots level.

Below is the list of Padma Awardees (As per sources):

1. Bhagwandas Raikar (Madhya Pradesh)
2. Bhiklya Ladkya Dhinda (Maharashtra)
3. Brij Lal Bhatt (Jammu and Kashmir)
4. Charan Hembram (Odisha)
5. Chiranjee Lal Yadav (Uttar Pradesh)
6. Dr Padma Gurmet (Jammu and Kashmir)
7. Kollakkaiyil Devaki Amma G (Kerala)
8. Mahendra Kumar Mishra (Odisha)
9. Naresh Chandra Dev Verma (Tripura)
10. Othuvar Thiruthani (Tamil Nadu)
11. Raghupat Singh (Uttar Pradesh)
12. Raghuveer Khedkar (Maharashtra)
13. Rajastapathi Kalaiyappa Gounder (Tamil Nadu)
14. Sangyusang S. Pongener (Nagaland)
15. Shrirang Devba Lad (Maharashtra)
16. Thiruvarur Bakthavatsalam (Tamil Nadu)
17. Anke Gowda (Karnataka)
18. Armida Fernandes (Maharashtra)
19. Dr Shyam Sundar (Uttar Pradesh)
20. Gaffaruddin Mewati (Rajasthan)
21. Khem Raj Sundriyal (Haryana)
22. Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai (Gujarat)
23. Mohan Nagar (Madhya Pradesh)
24. Nilesh Mandlewala (Gujarat)
25. Ramchandra Godbole and Sunita Godbole (Chhattisgarh)
26. Ram Reddy Mamidi (Telangana)
27. Simanchal Patro (Odisha)
28. Suresh Hanagwadi (Karnataka)
29. Techi Gubin (Arunachal Pradesh)
30. Yumnam Jatra Singh (Manipur)
31. Budhri Tathi (Chhattisgarh)
32. Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj (Telangana)
33. Dr Punniyamurthy Natarajan (Tamil Nadu)
34. Haily War (Meghalaya)
35. Inderjit Singh Sidhu (Chandigarh)
36. K Pazhanivel (Puducherry)
37. Kailash Chandra Pant (Madhya Pradesh)
38. Nuruddin Ahmed (Assam)
39. Pokila Lektepi (Assam)
40. R Krishnan (Tamil Nadu)
41. SG Sushilemma (Karnataka)
42. Taga Ram Bhil (Rajasthan)
43. Vishva Bandhu (Bihar)
44. Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya (Gujarat)
45. Shafi Shauq (Jammu and Kashmir)

Padma awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activity or disciplines that involve an element of public service.
(With agency inputs)