Garhwal Post Bureau
New Delhi, 25 May: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was today conferred the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to public service by President Droupadi Murmu during the Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan here today.
The Padma awards for the year 2026 were presented by the President at the Ganatantra Mandap of Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, several Union Ministers and other distinguished guests.
During the first Civil Investiture Ceremony, the President presented a total of 66 Padma awards, including two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri honours. The Padma awards, regarded among the country’s highest civilian honours, are conferred in three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri — for exceptional contributions across fields including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil services.
The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, the Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order and the Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced every year on the occasion of Republic Day. For 2026, the President has approved a total of 131 Padma awards, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. The remaining awardees will be honoured during the second phase of the Civil Investiture Ceremony to be held later.
Popularly known as ‘Bhagat Da’ in Uttarakhand, Koshyari is recognised as a prominent social worker, educationist, journalist and dedicated nationalist leader who devoted his life to public service and the upliftment of poor and marginalised sections of society. He is also known as a committed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteer and is widely respected for his simplicity, discipline and passion for learning.
Born on June 17, 1942, in the remote village of Palanadhura in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, Koshyari pursued higher education despite coming from a rural background and completed his post-graduation in English Literature from Almora College, affiliated to Agra University, in 1964. He began his professional career as a lecturer at Raja Ka Rampur in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh during 1964-65. However, inspired by the vision of nation-building through education, he later dedicated himself entirely to academic and social service activities.
Koshyari entered active public life in 1997 when he was nominated to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. Following the formation of Uttarakhand in November 2000, he became a Cabinet Minister in the State’s first government and later served briefly as the Chief Minister of the then Uttaranchal. He also served as Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
In 2008, Koshyari was elected to the Rajya Sabha and later represented the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha after being elected in 2014. On September 5, 2019, he was appointed Governor of Maharashtra and later also held additional charge as Governor of Goa in August 2020.
Apart from his contributions to education and politics, Koshyari is also an author and has written books including “Uttaranchal Pradesh Kyon” and “Uttaranchal Pradesh: Sangharsh Evam Samadhan”, reflecting his vision and commitment towards the development of Uttarakhand. His public life spanning decades is widely regarded as an example of dedication to the nation, leadership and unwavering commitment to public service.
