UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Padma Awards 2026 announced

Q1. Which one of the following is the highest in the order of precedence among the Padma Awards?

  • A. Padma Vibhushan
  • B. Padma Bhushan
  • C. Padma Shri
  • D. Bharat Ratna

Q2. With reference to the Padma Awards in comparison with the Bharat Ratna, consider the following statements: 1. The Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan were both instituted in the year 1954. 2. Unlike the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Awards carry a cash allowance along with the medal. 3. The Padma Awards are conferred in three tiers, whereas the Bharat Ratna is a single, untiered honour. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan were both instituted in the year 1954.
  2. Unlike the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Awards carry a cash allowance along with the medal.
  3. The Padma Awards are conferred in three tiers, whereas the Bharat Ratna is a single, untiered honour.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. The constitutionality of the Padma Awards — as decorations that do not amount to 'titles' prohibited under Article 18(1) — was upheld by the Supreme Court in which one of the following cases?

  • A. Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India
  • B. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala
  • C. S. R. Bommai v. Union of India
  • D. Indra Sawhney v. Union of India

Q4. Which one of the following authorities administers the Padma Awards and processes the recommendations before they are approved?

  • A. Ministry of Culture
  • B. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
  • D. President's Secretariat

Q5. In the context of the Padma Awards, the term 'duo case' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. An award conferred jointly on two persons for the same body of work, counted as a single award
  • B. A person who receives two Padma Awards in two successive years
  • C. The simultaneous conferment of a Padma Award and the Bharat Ratna on one individual
  • D. An award upgraded from a lower tier to a higher tier in the same year

Q6. The Padma Awards Committee, which scrutinises the nominations each year before the awards are approved, is constituted by which one of the following?

  • A. The Prime Minister
  • B. The President
  • C. The Union Home Minister
  • D. The Chief Justice of India

Q7. With reference to the Padma Awards announced for the year 2026, consider the following: 1. Total awards conferred — 131 2. Padma Bhushan awards — 13 3. Women awardees — 19 4. Posthumous awardees — 26 Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?

  1. Total awards conferred — 131
  2. Padma Bhushan awards — 13
  3. Women awardees — 19
  4. Posthumous awardees — 26
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. Nominations for the Padma Awards, including for the 2026 cycle, are received exclusively online through which one of the following platforms?

  • A. Rashtriya Puraskar Portal
  • B. National Single Window System
  • C. DigiLocker
  • D. UMANG

Q9. With reference to the announcement and conferment of the Padma Awards 2026, consider the following: 1. The awards were announced on the eve of Republic Day, on 25 January 2026. 2. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I on 25 May 2026. 3. The ceremony was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 4. The awards were announced on 26 January 2026. Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?

  1. The awards were announced on the eve of Republic Day, on 25 January 2026.
  2. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I on 25 May 2026.
  3. The ceremony was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
  4. The awards were announced on 26 January 2026.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q10. The Padma Awards for 2026 were formally conferred at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held on 25 May 2026 by which one of the following?

  • A. President Droupadi Murmu
  • B. The Vice-President of India
  • C. The Prime Minister of India
  • D. The Union Home Minister

Q11. The number of Bharat Ratna awards that may be conferred in any particular year is restricted to a maximum of how many?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Five
  • D. There is no fixed annual limit