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| Padma Vibhushan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Padma Vibhushan medal suspended by a ribbon | |
| Type | National Civilian |
| Country |  India |
| Presented by |  President of India |
| Ribbon |  |
| Obverse | A centrally located lotus flower is embossed and the text "Padma (पद्म)" written in Devanagari script is placed above and the text "Vibhushan (विभूषण)" 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 |
| Established | 1954 |
| First awarded | 1954 |
| Last awarded | 2024 |
| Total | 336 |
| Website | http://www.padmaawards.gov.in/  |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) |  Ashoka Chakra |
| Next (lower) |  Padma Bhushan |
The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards. However, government servants including those working with public sector undertakings, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for these Awards. As of 2024[update], the award has been bestowed on 336 individuals, including thirty-one posthumous and twenty-one 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 Husain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, 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. P. N. Haksar, Vilayat Khan, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, 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.
Most recently on 26 January 2024, the award has been bestowed upon five recipients; Vyjayanthimala, Chiranjeevi, Venkaiah Naidu, Bindeshwar Pathak (posthumous) and Padma Subrahmanyam.