Dr. Rachna Gaur from Rajsamand among others get IG Paryavaran Puruskar

The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil presented Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puruskar (IGPP) for the years 2006 and 2007 on World Environment Day. These awards are given in recognition to those who have made measurable and major impact in the protection of Environment. Two awards, jointly in organization category and two awards in individual category have been given for each year. Congratulating the awardees, Smt. Patil said the work of awardees and their commitment to the environmental cause will bring good result. Quoting from Varaha Purana, the President said as long as mountains and green forests are flourished on the earth, our future generations will survive and live happily. She asked all to join in efforts to protect and conserve recourses of our planet and appealed to take a pledge to plant a tree and nurture it.

For the Year 2006, in organization category, Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd., Assam and 130 Infantry Battalion (TA) Ecological, Uttarakhand have been presented IGPP award. In the individual category the first award was presented to Dr. J. Raghav Rao, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and the second award was presented to Smt. S. Annapurna, Vizianagaram , Andhra Pradesh.

For the Year 2007, two organizations, one from Karnataka and another from Uttar Pradesh got IGPP award jointly. These are BAIF Institutes of Rural Development, Tiptur (Karnataka) and Antyoday Nirbal Durbal Shoshit Mahila Evam Bal Kalyan Samiti, Lucknow, U.P. For the same Year, Shri Afzal Khatri & Smt. Nusrat Khatri, Mumbai, Maharashtra got the first IGPP award and Dr. Rachna Gaur, Rajsamand, Rajasthan in the individual category.

The organizations have been given Rs.5,00,000/-. In individual category, the first prize is of Rs.3,00,000/- and the second individual has been given Rs.2,00,000/-. Along with the cash prize, awardees is given a silver lotus trophy and a citation.

In reverential memory of late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, in the year 1987, instituted an award called "Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar (IGPP)". Smt. Indira Gandhi had made remarkable contribution in the field of eco-restoration and prompted the concept of sustainable development by combining our age old conservation ethics with the modern scientific and technological advances and emphasised the link between conservation, peace and eradication of poverty.