Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 25 (ANI): Wife of Padma Shri awardee Rama Reddy Mamidi on Sunday expressed happiness over his selection for the prestigious honour in his contribution to animal husbandry, saying it was a recognition of his lifelong service to the dairy and animal-rearing sectors.

Speaking to ANI, she said she felt proud of her husband's achievement and highlighted his disciplined lifestyle and dedication to his work. She added that his punctuality and commitment reflected the way he served people throughout his life.

She said the Padma Shri award was a fitting tribute to his contributions, which benefited a large number of people in dairy farming and animal husbandry.

'I am very happy that the Central Government has presented the Padma Shri award to him in recognition of the services he rendered in the dairy and animal-rearing sectors. As his wife, I am very proud. His lifestyle was very disciplined, and he worked exactly on time. I think he received this recognition for the services he provided to so many people,' Mamidi's wife told ANI.

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.

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)