MHA Awards Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak 2026 to 490 Personnel

What happened

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, announced the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak for the year 2026 on 31 October 2026. A total of 490 personnel from various State Police forces, Union Territory (UT) Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and Central Police Organisations (CPOs) were selected for this honour.

The award distribution for 2026 spans three functional categories: Special Operations, Investigation, and Forensic Science. The Special Operations category recognized 358 personnel for operations conducted during 2024 and 2026. The Investigation category accounted for 123 awardees, while 9 personnel were recognized in the Forensic Science category.

Among the recipient organizations, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) secured the highest representation with 114 personnel recognized in the Special Operations stream. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) followed with 56 awardees. Major state police representations included Punjab Police with 37 personnel, Delhi Police with 36, Jharkhand Police with 28, Assam Police with 23 (19 in Special Operations and 4 in Investigation), Telangana Police with 21, Uttar Pradesh Police with 18, and Chhattisgarh Police with 15. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) saw 14 officers awarded, Maharashtra Police had 7, Haryana Police had 6, and Assam Rifles had 1 personnel awarded in Special Operations.

The Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak was officially instituted on 1 February 2024 by consolidating four earlier awards issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs: the Union Home Minister's Special Operation Medal, the Medal for Excellence in Investigation, the Exceptional Intelligence Efficiency Medal, and the Union Home Minister's Award for Meritorious Service. The medal is announced annually on 31 October to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day).

📅 Important dates

✅ Eligibility

• Open to personnel from State and UT Police Forces, intelligence branches, security units, CAPFs, and CPOs.
• Open to members of specialized forces including the National Security Guard (NSG) and Assam Rifles.
• Open to scientific and technical personnel working in Central and State Forensic Science laboratories.
• There is no minimum length-of-service requirement for consideration.
• Conferment is subject to prescribed integrity and disciplinary clearances.

📝 What candidates should do

• Note the exact awardee count (490) and category distributions for current affairs sections.
• Memorize the institution date (1 February 2024) and the names of the four merged medals for static GK questions.
• Revise the significance of 31 October as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and its connection to national internal security honours.

🔍 PrepZen analysis

The Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak serves as a streamlined, unified recognition framework for law enforcement and internal security operations in India. By bringing investigation, intelligence, special operations, and forensic analysis under a single banner, the Ministry of Home Affairs consolidated previously fragmented honours.

For competitive examinations, questions on this topic generally focus on numbers, institutional facts, and dates. Aspirants should expect direct factual questions in SSC CGL, Banking (GA/Current Affairs), and State PSC exams regarding the total number of recipients (490), the leading force (CRPF with 114), the four merged predecessor medals, and the institution date.

✍️ Practice questions

❓ FAQs

Prepared by PrepZen for exam preparation. Consult the linked sources for original announcements and current details. Corrections policy. Spotted an error? Write to prepzen.app@gmail.com.