Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 25 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday congratulated Brij Lal Bhat and Shafi Shauq on being awarded the Padma Shri in the fields of social work and literature & education, respectively.

In a post on X, Sinha said their dedication and contributions have benefited many people and strengthened the social and cultural fabric of society. He added that Jammu and Kashmir are proud of their achievements.

'Congratulations to Shri Brij Lal Bhat & Prof. Shafi Shauq on being conferred with the Padma Shri in the field of Social Work and Literature & Education. Their dedication & contributions have benefited many & strengthened the social & cultural fabric of society. J&K is proud of them,' LG Sinha wrote in an 'X' post.

President Droupadi Murmu has 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.

The Padma Vibhushan awardees include 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.

Recipients of the Padma Bhushan include celebrated female playback singer Alka Yagnik (Art, Maharashtra), Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Public Affairs, Uttarakhand), distinguist gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy (Medicine, Tamil Nadu), legendary Malayali actor Mammootty (Art, Kerala), Dr Nori Dattatreyaudu (Medicine, United States of America), Piyush Pandey (posthumous) (Art, Maharashtra), S K M Maeilananndhan (Social Work, Tamil Nadu), Shatavadhani R Ganesh (Art, Karnataka), former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren (posthumous) (Public Affairs, Jharkhand), Uday Kotak (Trade and Industry, Maharashtra), veteral politician V K Malhotra (posthumous) (Public Affairs, Delhi), Vellappally Natesan (Public Affairs, Kerala) and Vijay Amritraj (Sports, United States of America). (ANI)