Introduction:
IGPP Award was instituted in 1987 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India.
This national prize on environment is named after the former Prime Minister of India late Shrimati Indira Gandhi and shall be known as 'Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar'.
The prize will be given each year on any environment related occasion for significant contributions in the field of environment, which are recognized as having measurable impact on the protection/overall improvement of the environment.
Nature of the Prize:
From the year 2009 onwards, two prizes of Rs. 5.00 lakh each along with silver lotus trophy under the organization category, and three prizes of Rs. 5.00 lakh, Rs. 3.00 lakh and Rs. 2.00 lakh respectively to individuals in individual category along with silver lotus trophy shall be given annually.
Eligibility:
Any citizen of India or Indian organisation engaged in the Scientific Work/Field Work for the cause of protection of environment is eligible. There is no age limit for individuals. The term 'Environment' shall be interpreted in broadest sense possible. Following is an indicative but not exhaustive list of work areas concerned:
- Prevention of Pollution.
- Conservation of Natural Resources.
- Rational use of depletable resources.
- Environmental Planning and Management.
- Environmental Impact Assessment.
- Outstanding field work (innovative research work) for enrichment of environment e.g. afforestation,land reclaimation,water treatment,air purification,etc.
- Environmental Education.
- Creating awareness of environmental issues.
Environmental Prize Committee:
On receipt of short listed nominations and duly verified by the Regional Offices of the Ministry, the Ministry of Environment and Forests shall circulate to Members of the Prize Committee such list of nominees along with detailed statement of works and attainment of each candidate/ organization. The Committee shall have 7 members as given below:
- Vice-President of India(Chairman)
- Speaker of Lok Sabha
- Minister for Environment and Forests
- 3 Expert Members *
- Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests will act as Member -Secretary to the Prize Committee
List of Awardees:
| Sr. No. | Year | Category | Nomination Selected |
| 1 | 1987 | Organisation | Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay |
| 2 | 1988 | Organisation | Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, Kerala. |
| 3 | 1989 | Organisation | Samaj Parivartan Samudaya, Dharwad. |
| 4 | 1990 | Individual | Shri Sant Kumar Bishnoi. |
| 5 | 1991 | Individual | Shri S. P. Godrej |
| 6 | 1991 | Organisation | Dasholi Gram Swarajya Mandal, Garhwal. |
| 7 | 1992 | Individual | Dr. Shrivaram Karnath K., Dakshin Kannada Karnataka, |
| 8 | 1992 | Organisation | 127-Infantry Batalion (T.A), Ecological, Dehradun (U.P) |
| 9 | 1993 | Individual | Dr. T. N. Khoshoo, New Delhi |
| 10 | 1993 | Organisation | Young Mizo Association, Mizoram, |
| 11 | 1994 | Individual | Smt. Radha Behn, General Secretary, Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, Kasturba Gram, Indore (MP) |
| 12 | 1994 | Organisation | Tarun Bharat Sangh, Bheekampura, Kishori, Via Thanagaji, Alwar, Rajasthan. |
| 13 | 1995 | Individual | Shri Natwarbhai Thakkar, Nagaland Gandhi Ashram, Mokokchung, Nagaland. |
| 14 | 1995 | Organisation | Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. |
| 15 | 1996 | Individual | Shri Anupam Mishra, Gandhi Peace Foundation, 221-223, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi. |
| 16 | 1996 | Organisation | CPR Environmental Education Centre, No. I Eldams Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. |
| 17 | 1997 | Individual | Shri J. C. Daniel, Hony. Member, Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Dr. Salim Ali Chowk, Shaheed Bhaga Singh Road, Bombay. |
| 18 | 1997 | Organisation | Centre for Environment Education, Nehru Foundation for Development, Thaltej, Tekra, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. |
| 19 | 1998 | Individual | Shri Jagdish Ranganath Gudbole, 6 Shree Apartments, 917/16, Ganesh Wadi, Pune- 411004. |
| 20 | 1998 | Organisation | The Barefoot Collage, SWRC- Tilonia, Madanganj, Ajmer, Rajasthan. |
| 21 | 1999 | Individual | Shri Piare Lal, Pragati Biotechnologies, 666, Urban Estate, Phase II, Jallandhar City, Punjab. |
| 22 | 1999 | Organisation | The Ryan Foundation, (St. Kavier's Group of Schools & Ryan International Schools), Asha Nagar Poison, Kandivilli (E), Mumbai. |
| 23 | 2000 | (Posthumously) Individual Category | Dr. Ramesh Bedi |
| 24 | 2000 | Organisation Category | Captive Power Plant Division, National Aluminium Co. Ltd., Angul, Orissa. |
| 25 | 2001 | Individual Category | Shri. Girish Gandhi |
| 26 | 2001 | Organisation Category | Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Tirupati |
| 27 | 2002 | Individual Category (Posthumously) | Dr. K.M. Mathew, Kodaikanal |
| 28 | 2002 | Organisation Category | The Chilika Development Authority |
| 29 | 2003 | Individual Category | Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak |
| 30 | 2003 | Organisation Category | The Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre, Lansdowne |
| 31 | 2004 | Individual Category | Ms. Jyotsna Sitling |
| 32 | 2004 | Organisation Category | Malyala Manorama |
| 33 | 2005 | Organisation Category | Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Maharashtra |
| 34 | 2005 | Individual Category | Shri Jagdish Baba, Uttarakhand |
| 35 | 2005 | Individual Category | Dr. Amrita Patel, Gujarat |
| 36 | 2006 | Organisation Category | Bongai Gaon Refinery (IOC), Chirang, Assam (Jointly) |
| 37 | 2006 | Organisation Category | 130 Infantry Battalion (TA) Ecological, Uttarakhand (Jointly) |
| 38 | 2006 | Individual Category | Dr. J. Raghava Rao, Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| 39 | 2006 | Individual Category | Smt. S. Annapurna, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh |
| 40 | 2007 | Organisation Category | BAIF Institute for Rural Development, Tiptur, Karnataka (Jointly) |
| 41 | 2007 | Organisation Category | Antoday NDSMEBK Samiti, Lucknow, UP (Jointly) |
| 42 | 2007 | Individual Category | Shri Afzal Khatri & Smt. Nusrat Khatri, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| 43 | 2007 | Inidividual Category | Dr. Rachna Guar, Rajsamand, Rajasthan |
| 44 | 2008 | Organisation Category | ISHA Foundation, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu |
