Dr Pawan Goenka honoured with Padma Shri

Dr Pawan Goenka, the former managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra and currently chairman of INSPACe (Indian National Space Promotion & Authorization Centre), which is a single-window autonomous government agency to promote, permit, and oversee private sector space-based activities, has been awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in the ‘Trade and Industry’ category.

He has been honoured for his strong contribution towards strengthening India’s space sector and his work in developing state-of-the-art automotive capabilities.

Dr Goenka, a true-blue engineer, is an ardent proponent of the Make-in-India philosophy. He earned his B.Tech  in Mechanical Engineering from I.I.T., Kanpur and Ph.D. from Cornell University, U.S.A. He is also a Graduate of Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School. He worked at General Motors R&D Centre in Detroit, U.S.A. from 1979 to 1993. Thereafter, he joined Mahindra & Mahindra, as General Manager (R&D) and was appointed Managing Director in 2016.

Dr Goenka retired in March 2021`after 27 years with M&M and over four decades in the automotive industry, only to take up a new assignment at the Government of India’s Department of Space.

In 2019, with India Auto Inc witnessing a slowdown, Dr Goenka, who was a regular speaker at the annual SIAM and ACMA conventions, detailed 10 mantras for India Auto Inc to ride out the slowdown and emerge stronger in a future what he foresaw as an age of technological and other disruptions.

Dr Goenka, who is the first Indian to be awarded the FISITA Model of Honour in 2016, is also known as the ‘prime architect’ of SAE India – the national body of automotive engineers in India. He is also the only person to be voted Autocar Professional's 'Man of the Year' twice (CY2006 and CY2011).

The Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian awards of India, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. They are given in various disciplines and fields of activities – art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service. While ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, ‘Padma Bhushan’ is for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated all the Padma awardees of 2025. He remarked that each awardee was synonymous with hard work, passion and innovation, which has positively impacted countless lives. In a post on X, he wrote: “Congratulations to all the Padma awardees! India is proud to honour and celebrate their extraordinary achievements. Their dedication and perseverance are truly motivating. Each awardee is synonymous with hard work, passion and innovation, which has positively impacted countless lives. They teach us the value of striving for excellence and serving society selflessly.”

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