Padma Vibhushan
| Padma Vibhushan | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awarded by Government of India |
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| Type | Civilian | ||||
| Category | National | ||||
| Description | |||||
| Obverse | A centrally located lotus flower is embossed and the text "Padma" written in Devanagari script is placed above and the text "Vibhushan" is placed below the lotus. | ||||
| Reverse | A platinum Emblem of India placed in the centre with the national motto of India, "Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari Script | ||||
| Ribbon |  |
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| Statistics | |||||
| Instituted | 1954 | ||||
| First awarded | 1954 | ||||
| Last awarded | 2017 | ||||
| Total awarded | 300 | ||||
| Previous name(s) | Padma Vibhushan "Pahela Warg" (Class I) | ||||
| First awardee(s) | |||||
| Recent awardee(s) |
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The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, preceded by Bharat Ratna and followed by Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The award criteria include "service in any field including service rendered by Government servants" including doctors and scientists, but excludes those working with the public sector undertakings. As of 2017[update], the award has been bestowed on 300 individuals, including twelve posthumous and 19 non-citizen recipients.
During 1 May and 15 September of every year, the recommendations for the award are submitted to the Padma Awards Committee, constituted by the Prime Minister of India. The recommendations are received from all the state and the union territory governments, the Ministries of the Government of India, the Bharat Ratna and previous Padma Vibhushan award recipients, the Institutes of Excellence, the Ministers, the Chief Ministers and the Governors of State, and the Members of Parliament including private individuals. The committee later submits their recommendations to the Prime Minister and the President of India for the further approval. The award recipients are announced on Republic Day.
The first recipients of the award were Satyendra Nath Bose, Nand Lal Bose, Zakir Hussain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, and V. K. Krishna Menon, who were honoured in 1954. The 1954 statutes did not allow posthumous awards but this was subsequently modified in the January 1955 statute. The "Padma Vibhushan", along with other personal civil honours, was briefly suspended twice, from July 1977 to January 1980 and from August 1992 to December 1995. Some of the recipients have refused or returned their conferments. Vilayat Khan, Swami Ranganathananda, and Manikonda Chalapathi Rau refused the award, the family members of Lakshmi Chand Jain (2011) and Sharad Anantrao Joshi (2016) declined their posthumous conferments, and Baba Amte returned his 1986 conferment in 1991. On 25 January 2017, the award was conferred upon seven recipients; Murli Manohar Joshi, Sharad Pawar, Udupi Ramachandra Rao, Jaggi Vasudev, K. J. Yesudas and posthumously on Sunder Lal Patwa and P. A. Sangma.
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