The Aryavarth Express
Amravati (Maharashtra):
Janardan Bothe, General Secretary of the All India Gurudev Seva Mandal and a Padma Shri awardee for his contributions to social work, has said that the honour has been dedicated to the revered social reformer and freedom fighter Tukdoji Maharaj.
Both said the award symbolises the collective efforts of the organisation’s followers and reflects the ideals propagated by Tukdoji Maharaj. “The Padma Shri award I have received belongs to the followers of the All India Gurudev Seva Mandal. We have dedicated it at the feet of Tukdoji Maharaj. This honour recognises his vision and lifelong work towards uniting Indian culture. Tukdoji Maharaj was also a freedom fighter,” he said.
The Padma Shri is the country’s fourth-highest civilian award.
Meanwhile, Dr Armida Fernandes was also conferred the Padma Shri in 2026 for her distinguished contributions to the field of medicine. Expressing gratitude, she credited her teams for the achievement, calling it a result of collective effort.
“I am very honoured to receive this award. I worked for 50 years with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation at Sion Hospital, in Mumbai’s slums, and later in palliative care. I have been blessed with excellent teams from Sion Hospital, my NGO SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action), and palliative care services. Everyone worked together,” Fernandes said.
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu approved the conferment of 131 Padma awards, including two duo cases counted as single awards. The list includes five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards, recognising exceptional service across diverse fields.
According to a government statement, the list features 90 women awardees, six recipients from the categories of foreigners, Non-Resident Indians (NRI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), and 16 posthumous awards.
Among the Padma Vibhushan recipients are actor Dharmendra Singh Deol (posthumous) for contributions to art from Maharashtra; former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas for public affairs from Kerala; renowned violinist N. Rajam for art from Uttar Pradesh; veteran Malayalam journalist P. Narayanan for literature and education from Kerala; and former Kerala Chief Minister and senior Left leader V.S. Achuthanandan (posthumous) for public affairs.
