Maharashtra Bhushan Award is highest civilian award presented annually by the government of Maharashtra. In 2025, noted sculptor Ram Sutar has been chosen for the state government’s highest civilian award. Maharashtra Bhushan was conferred for the first time in the year 1996. It has been awarded to people who have made exceptional contributions to society.
Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2025
100-year-old sculptor, Ram Sutar, designed the the Statue of Unity which is the world's tallest statue with a height of 182 metres. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced his name for the award and said the decision was taken unanimously by a committee headed by him on March 12. "He is a centenarian but is still working on the Ambedkar statue at the Indu mill memorial project in Mumbai," Fadnavis said.
Along with the Statue of Unity, Sutar has been associated with many major projects like the 251-metre tall statue of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, 153-feet high statue of Lord Shiva in Bengaluru and a 100-feet tall statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Moshi in Pune.
Maharashtra Bhushan Award winners | Full List
- Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (1996)
- Lata Mangeshkar (1997)
- Vijay Bhatkar (1999)
- Sachin Tendulkar (2001)
- Bhimsen Joshi (2002)
- Abhay and Rani Bang (2003)
- Baba Amte (2004)
- Raghunath Anant Mashelkar (2005)
- Ratan Tata (2006)
- R K Patil (2007)
- Dr. Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari (2008)
- Mangesh Padgaonkar (2008)
- Sulochana Latkar (2009)
- Jayant Narlikar (2010)
- Anil Kakodkar (2011)
- Babasaheb Purandare (2015)
- Asha Bhosle (2021)
- Appasaheb Dharmadhikari (2023)
- Ashok Saraf (2024)
- Ram Sutar (2025)
Initially, Maharashtra Bhushan award was given for contributions in the fields of literature, art, sports, and science. Later social work, journalism, public administration, and health care were also included. The recipients of this award are selected by a committee headed by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The award comprises Rs 25 lakh and a memento.
Also Read | Ram Sutar, sculptor who designed Statue of Unity, to get Maharashtra Bhushan