Ashwin was not present during the Award Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, 2014 as he was a part of the India ODI team, which was touring England at that time.
The 28-year-old Ashwin, who is also a useful batsman, has taken 124 wickets in 25 Tests, 139 in 99 ODIs and 26 wickets in 25 T20 internationals.
He became the fastest bowler in 80 years to complete 100 wickets in his 19th Test in November 2013 against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium, which was the the farewell game of Sachin Tendulkar.
A total of 46 cricketers, including women, have been conferred the sporting honour.