Gaj Gaurav Awards 2026: Mahouts Honoured on World Elephant Day
Why in the news
The environment ministry’s junior minister presented the awards to frontline elephant handlers on World Elephant Day.
About the award
- National honour for frontline work in Asian elephant protection.
- Instituted: 2022, by the Environment Ministry.
- Presented on: 12 August.
2026 winners
| Place | Winners | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal | 7 mahouts, including Bikash Kharia and Rajiv Oraon | Courage in the Torsha and Malangi floods |
| Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh | Ganesh Tamang and Sumit Gogoi | Only Northeast awardees |
Project Elephant
- Started in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
- India holds about 60% of wild Asian elephants.
- Asian elephant: Endangered (IUCN), Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, National Heritage Animal since 2010.
- 33 Elephant Reserves.
- Gaj Yatra promotes corridor protection; MIKE is the CITES programme on illegal killing.
Exam angle
- Venue 2026: Visakhapatnam.
- Kumki means trained elephant.