A centrally located lotus flower is embossed and the text "Padma" written in Devanagari script is placed above and the text "Bhushan" is placed below the lotus.
Reverse
A platinum
State Emblem of India placed in the centre with the national motto of India, "
Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari Script
The
Padma Bhushan is the third-highest
civilian award of the
Republic of India.[1] Instituted on 2January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex.[2] The recipients receive a Sanad, a certificate signed by the
President of India and a circular-shaped medallion with no monetary association. The recipients are announced every year on
Republic Day (26January) and registered in The Gazette of India—a publication used for official government notices and released weekly by the Department of Publication, under the
Ministry of Urban Development.[3] The conferral of the award is not considered official without its publication in the Gazette. The names of recipients whose awards have been revoked or restored, both of which processes require the authority of the president, are archived and they are required to surrender their medal when their name is struck from the register;[4] none of the conferments of Padma Bhushan during 2000–2009 have been revoked or restored. The recommendations are received from all the
state and the union territory governments, as well as from
Ministries of the Government of India, the
Bharat Ratna and the
Padma Vibhushan awardees, the Institutes of Excellence, the Ministers, the
Chief Ministers and the
Governors of State, and the
Members of Parliament including private individuals.[3]
When instituted in 1954, the Padma Bhushan was classified as "Dusra Varg" (Class II) under the three-tier
Padma Vibhushan awards, which were preceded by the Bharat Ratna in hierarchy. On 15January 1955, the Padma Vibhushan was reclassified into three different awards as the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the
Padma Shri.[3] The criteria included "distinguished service of a high order in any field including service rendered by Government servants", but excluded those working with the
public sector undertakings with the exception of doctors and scientists. The 1954 statutes did not allow posthumous awards; this was subsequently modified in the January 1955 statute.[4] The design was also changed to the form that is currently in use; it portrays a circular-shaped toned bronze medallion 1+3⁄4 inches (44 mm) in diameter and 1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. The centrally placed pattern made of outer lines of a square of 1+3⁄16 inches (30 mm) side is embossed with a knob carved within each of the outer angles of the pattern. A raised circular space of diameter 1+1⁄16 inches (27 mm) is placed at the centre of the decoration. A centrally located lotus flower is embossed on the obverse side of the medal and the text "Padma" is placed above and the text "Bhushan" is placed below the lotus written in
Devanagari script. The
State Emblem of India is displayed in the centre of the reverse side, together with the national motto of India, "
Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari script, which is inscribed on the lower edge. The rim, the edges and all embossing on either side is of standard gold with the text "Padma Bhushan" of gold gilt. The medal is suspended by a pink riband 1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm) in width with a broad white stripe in the middle.[3][4] It is ranked fifth in the order of precedence of wearing of medals and decorations of
the Indian civilian and military awards.[a]
A total of 291 awards were presented in the 2000s – twenty awards were presented in 2000, followed by thirty-two in 2001, twenty-five in 2002, thirty-two in 2003, nineteen in 2004, thirty in 2005, thirty-seven in 2006, thirty-two in 2007, thirty-five in 2008, and thirty-one in 2009. The Padma Bhushan in the 2000s was also conferred upon 37 foreign recipients – eighteen from the United States, five each from Russia and the United Kingdom, three from Japan, two from France, and one each from China, the Czech Republic, Germany, and South Africa. Individuals from ten different fields were awarded, which includes sixty-nine artists, sixty from literature and education, forty-three from science and engineering, twenty-seven from trade and industry, twenty-six from medicine, twenty-two from public affairs, eighteen from social work, twelve from civil services, ten from other fields, and four sportspersons.[6]
^Lal, Shavax A. (1954).
"The Gazette of India—Extraordinary—Part I"(PDF). The Gazette of India. The President's Secretariat (published 2 January 1954): 2. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2018. The President is pleased to institute an award to be designated 'Padma Vibhushan' in three classes, namely: 'Pahela Varg', 'Dusra Varg' and 'Tisra Varg'
^
abcd"Padma Awards Scheme"(PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). Archived from
the original(PDF) on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
^
abcAyyar, N. M. (1955).
"The Gazette of India—Extraordinary—Part I"(PDF). The Gazette of India. The President's Secretariat (published 15 January 1955): 8.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2018. All persons upon whom the decoration of 'Padma Vibhushan' ('Dusra Varg') was conferred under the Regulations issued with Notification No. 2-Pres./54, dated the 2nd January, 1954, shall, for all purposes of these regulations, be deemed to be persons on whom the decoration of Padma Bhushan has been conferred by the President.
Padma Vibhushan
Padma Shri
