Three categories, announced on Republic Day: how the Padma Awards are conferred

Background

The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian awards of India and are conferred in three categories. Padma Vibhushan, the highest of the three, is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service. Padma Bhushan is awarded for distinguished service of a high order. Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service in any field. They reach a wide spread of fields: art, literature and education, medicine, sports and social work, the civil service and public affairs, trade and industry, and science and engineering. The list is announced every year on the occasion of Republic Day. The President of India then confers the awards at ceremonial functions in the capital. The awards are handled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and where a single award goes jointly to two people it is counted as one, which the ministry calls a duo case.