In News:

On World Elephant Day 2026, celebrated at Visakhapatnam, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) conferred the Gaj Gaurav Awards 2026 for exemplary contributions to Asian elephant conservation and management.

About Gaj Gaurav Awards

• Instituted: 2022 by MoEFCC.
• Introduced during the 30-year celebrations of Project Elephant, launched in 1992.
• Recognises frontline personnel and communities involved in elephant conservation and management.
• Key beneficiaries include mahouts, elephant trackers/caretakers, forest guards, village watchers, conservationists and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs).
• Focus areas:
  • Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC)
  • Protection of elephant corridors
  • Anti-poaching and rescue operations
  • Prevention of train-elephant collisions
  • Management of crop-raiding herds
  • Welfare and ethical management of captive elephants
• Awards are presented annually around World Elephant Day (12 August).

2026 Awardees

Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal – 7 mahouts

• Recognised for courage during Torsha and Malangi river floods and wildlife protection.
• Awardees include Bikash Kharia, Rajiv (Rajib) Oraon, Ajibul Haque, Ajit Gabur, Mumtaz Alam, AmasurKheriya and Dilip Munda.

Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh – 2 caregivers

• Ganesh Tamang: Senior Elephant Mahout; over 26 years of service.
• Sumit Gogoi: Elephant Attendant; recognised for elephant welfare and management.
• They were the sole recipients from the Northeast in the 2026 awards.

Significance

The awards recognise the frontline workforce and local communities that form the first line of defence in elephant conservation, particularly in areas affected by human-elephant conflict.