Nominations, recommendations for Padma awards-2026 open now: MHA
New Delhi (PTI): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has started the process of nominations and recommendations for the Padma awards-2026 to be announced on the eve of next year's Republic Day.
The last date for nominations and recommendations for the Padma awards is July 31, 2025 and these would be received online on the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal (https://awards.gov.in ), an official statement said on Friday.
The Padma awards -- namely Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri -- are amongst the highest civilian awards of the country.
Instituted in 1954, these awards are announced on the eve of the Republic Day every year. The award seeks to recognise 'work of distinction' and is given for distinguished and exceptional achievements and service in all fields and disciplines such as art, literature and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, trade and industry etc.
All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards.
The government servants, including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for Padma awards.
The government is committed to transform Padma awards into "People's Padma". All citizens are, therefore, requested to make nominations and recommendations, including self-nomination, the statement said.
Concerted efforts may be made to identify talented persons whose excellence and achievements really deserve to be recognised from amongst women, weaker sections of the society, SCs and STs, 'divyang' persons and who are doing selfless service to the society, it said.
The Narendra Modi government has been honouring many “unsung heroes”, who are contributing to the society in different ways, with Padma awards since 2014, officials said.
The nominations and recommendations should contain all relevant details specified in the format available on the above said Portal, including a citation in narrative form (maximum 800 words), clearly bringing out the distinguished and exceptional achievements/service of the person recommended in her/his respective field/discipline.
The details in this regard are also available under the heading 'Awards and Medals' on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs (https://mha.gov.in) and on the Padma awards portal (https://padmaawards.gov.in).
The statutes and rules relating to these awards are available on the website with the link https://padmaawards.gov.in/AboutAwards.aspx .
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
