Assam’s Jogesh Deuri, a 65-year-old former head of the state’s sericulture department, has been named a Padma Shri awardee for 2026 for his decades-long work in preserving and promoting Eri silk.
Over more than 30 years, Deuri has focused on systematic plantation of trees for Eri silkworms and encouraged silk cultivation among the younger generation through modernisation and value addition, earning Assam’s Asom Gaurav award in 2022 for his efforts.
“My thrust area of work has been promotion of Eri silk and I am very pleased that such an honour has been bestowed on me. It’s not just an honour for me, but for our state and also for Assamese silk, which is an integral part and parcel of our culture and lives,” Deuri
Deuri is one of five Padma Shri recipients from Assam this year, alongside renowned sculptor Nuruddin Ahmed, Karbi folk singer Pokhila Lekthepi, former Union minister and veteran BJP leader Kabindra Purkayastha, who has been honoured posthumously, and Haricharan Saikia, a noted exponent of Sattriya, a classical dance form from Assam.