President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu will confer National Awards to Teachers (NAT) on 21 teachers and faculty members of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and polytechnics at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on September 5, 2026. The award distribution includes 12 teachers/faculties from central HEIs, five from state universities (comprising three government and two private colleges), and four from polytechnics (including two government and two private polytechnics).
Nominations for NAT 2026 were invited through online mode via the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal (www.awards.gov.in) from May 26 to July 20, 2026, with provisions for self, institutional, and peer nomination as part of Jan Bhagidari initiatives. The selection process involved a two-step evaluation: initial shortlisting by a Preliminary Search-cum Screening Committee followed by final selection from shortlisted nominees by a Committee of Jury.
The award criteria focused on multiple parameters including teaching-learning effectiveness, outreach activities, research and innovation, and sponsored research/faculty development programs/consultancy teaching. The expansion of these awards to include HEIs and polytechnics beyond school teachers was implemented in 2023 to align with the National Education Policy 2020's vision of cultivating a culture of excellence through incentives like rewards and recognition in the education ecosystem.
The 21 awardees represent diverse disciplines and institutions across India, including Prof. Avlokita Agrawal (IIT Roorkee, Sustainable Architecture), Prof. Kirti Chandra Sahu (IIT Hyderabad, Chemical Engineering), Prof. Vinay Chamola (BITS Pilani, Electricals & Electronics Engineering), Dr. Srikant Gollapudi (IIT Bhubaneswar, Metallurgy & Materials Science), Dr. Mithun Radhakrishna (IIT Gandhinagar, Chemical Engineering), Prof. Sourav Datta (IISER Bhopal, Plant Sciences), Prof. Vikram Vishal (IIT Bombay, Earth Sciences), Prof. Sarvaiya Jayrajsinh Indrajitsinh (National Forensic Sciences University, Forensic Pharmacy and Food Forensics), Prof. Sankar Prasad Rath (IIT Kanpur, Chemical Sciences), Dr Manisha Nigam (Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Biochemistry), Dr Amar Mohanrao Taksande (Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Paediatrics), Dr Arun Babu (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Paediatrics), Dr Pukhrambam Lilabati Devi (Manipur University, Manipuri Dance), Prof. Dr Ashutosh Mohan (Banaras Hindu University, Management), Prof. Ankuran Dutta (Gauhati University, Mass Communication), Ms Shivani V. (Karnataka Sanskrit University, Sanskrit), Prof. Rajeev Choudhary (Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Physical Education, Yoga Education), Dr. Vishwanatha H. S. (M.E.I. Polytechnic, Civil Engineering), Dr Sasikala S. (PSG Polytechnic College, Electrical & Electronics Engineering), Dr Kannan Rathinam (Sakthi Polytechnic College, Physics), and Dr Sandipann Pralhad Narote (Government Polytechnic, Solapur, Electronics Engineering & Telecommunication).