The Gaj Gaurav Award 2026 was conferred on World Elephant Day, August 12, 2026, honouring individuals across India who have made outstanding contributions to elephant conservation. The awards were presented as part of a national-level conference held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and at related state-level celebrations across the country, celebrating the forest officers, mahouts, and frontline workers who protect India’s elephants every day.

This year’s edition carried special significance, with one of the awards conferred posthumously on an Odisha forest officer who lost his life while protecting elephants — a reminder of just how demanding and dangerous frontline conservation work can be.

Quick Facts: Gaj Gaurav Award 2026

• Occasion: World Elephant Day, observed globally on August 12 every year
• Main venue (2026): National-level conference, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
• Instituted by: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India
• Award launched in: 2022, under Project Elephant
• Given for: Exemplary service by forest officers, mahouts, para-forest workers, and private elephant custodians
• 2026 posthumous honouree: Jugal Nayak, Odisha forest officer
• Key dignitaries (2026): Deputy CM K. Pawan Kalyan (Andhra Pradesh), Union MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh
• Linked publication released: Project Elephant – 30 Giant Steps

What Is the Gaj Gaurav Award?

The Gaj Gaurav Award was launched in 2022 by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to mark milestones in Project Elephant, the government’s flagship elephant conservation programme. The award recognises good practices adopted by captive elephant owners and honours outstanding work by field officers, frontline staff, and private custodians involved in elephant conservation.

Every year, the award is presented on World Elephant Day, which falls on August 12 and is observed worldwide to raise awareness about the protection of elephants and their habitats.

Gaj Gaurav Award 2026: What Happened

This year’s central ceremony took the form of a national-level conference held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Addressing the gathering, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan said that genuine development is reflected in conditions where humans and wildlife can coexist without conflict.

Key highlights from the 2026 ceremony include:

• Posthumous honour: The Gaj Gaurav award was conferred posthumously on Odisha forest officer Jugal Nayak, who sacrificed his life while working to protect elephants.
• Frontline staff recognised: Several other forest staff members were also honoured for their contributions to wildlife conservation.
• New publication released: Pawan Kalyan and Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh released a book titled Project Elephant – 30 Giant Steps, outlining an action plan for elephant conservation across South India.
• Student participation: Prizes were awarded to winners of drawing competitions held across 21,450 schools nationwide, with close to 20 lakh students taking part.
• Kumki elephant programme: Officials highlighted the role of specially trained Kumki elephants brought from Karnataka, which have taken part in 15 key operations and helped achieve a 70 percent reduction in human deaths in forest border areas.
• HANUMAN project: Launched in March 2026, this technology-driven initiative has deployed 93 response vehicles and seven wildlife ambulances, rescuing more than 200 wild animals and relocating them to 30 safe areas.

Beyond the Visakhapatnam event, state-level Gaj Gaurav-linked celebrations also took place elsewhere in the country, including recognition for mahouts from Jaldapara National Park in West Bengal for their role in elephant care and conservation.

Gaj Gaurav Award 2026: Key Numbers at a Glance

Metric	Figure
Elephant conservation centres in India (since 2014)	Increased from 26 to 33
Elephant corridors with protective measures	150
Kumki elephant operations (Andhra Pradesh)	15, with 70% drop in human deaths in border areas
Response vehicles under HANUMAN project	93
Wildlife ambulances under HANUMAN project	7
Wild animals rescued under HANUMAN project	200+
Schools participating in the elephant drawing competition	21,450
Students who took part in the competition	~20 lakh

Why This Award Matters

India is home to the largest population of wild Asian elephants in the world, and human-elephant conflict remains one of the country’s most pressing conservation challenges. Forest guards, mahouts, and para-forest workers frequently operate in dangerous conditions — tracking herds, managing conflict situations, and caring for captive elephants — often with little public recognition.

The Gaj Gaurav Award exists to change that. By publicly honouring these workers, including posthumously in cases like that of Jugal Nayak, the award aims to:

• Draw national attention to the human cost and effort behind elephant conservation
• Encourage best practices among captive elephant owners and custodians
• Motivate forest department staff and frontline workers to continue high-risk conservation work
• Build public awareness around Project Elephant’s broader goals

About Project Elephant

Project Elephant is a centrally sponsored scheme launched by the Government of India to protect elephants, their habitats, and migratory corridors, and to address the problem of human-elephant conflict. The Gaj Gaurav Award was introduced as part of Project Elephant’s 30th anniversary milestone in 2022, and it has since become an annual fixture of India’s World Elephant Day observances.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What is the Gaj Gaurav Award?

It is a national award instituted by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to honour forest officers, mahouts, para-forest workers, and private elephant custodians for exemplary service in elephant conservation.

Q2: When was the Gaj Gaurav Award 2026 conferred?

It was conferred on August 12, 2026, coinciding with World Elephant Day celebrations, with the main event held at a national-level conference in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Q3: Who received the Gaj Gaurav Award 2026?

Odisha forest officer Jugal Nayak received the award posthumously for sacrificing his life while protecting elephants. Several other forest department staff members were also honoured, along with mahouts recognised at related state-level events, including in West Bengal.

Q4: When was the Gaj Gaurav Award first introduced?

The award was launched in 2022 to mark a milestone in Project Elephant, India’s flagship elephant conservation programme.

Q5: Why is World Elephant Day celebrated on August 12?

World Elephant Day was launched in 2012 to raise global awareness about the conservation of elephants and their habitats. India marks the day each year with events tied to Project Elephant, including the Gaj Gaurav Award.

Q6: What is a Kumki elephant?

A Kumki is a specially trained captive elephant used by forest departments to manage human-elephant conflict situations, such as guiding wild elephant herds away from villages and farmland.

Q7: What is the HANUMAN project mentioned at the 2026 event?

HANUMAN is a technology-driven initiative launched in March 2026 in Andhra Pradesh to address human-wildlife conflict through rapid response teams, wildlife ambulances, and preventive monitoring.

Q8: Who were the first recipients of the Gaj Gaurav Award?

The award’s earliest recipients included Malasar tribesmen from the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, honoured for their role in elephant conservation.

Q9: What book was released at the 2026 Gaj Gaurav event?

Project Elephant – 30 Giant Steps, an action plan for elephant conservation in South India, was released by Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM K. Pawan Kalyan and Union Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh.

Q10: How many elephant conservation centres does India currently have?

As of the 2026 celebrations, officials stated the number of elephant conservation centres in India has increased from 26 to 33 since 2014.

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The Gaj Gaurav Awards 2026 once again put a national spotlight on the people who work behind the scenes to protect India’s elephants — from forest officers and mahouts to technology teams running rapid-response rescue operations. This year’s posthumous recognition of Odisha forest officer Jugal Nayak served as a powerful reminder that elephant conservation in India is not just a policy goal, but a mission that some workers pursue at great personal risk. As human-elephant conflict continues to challenge conservation efforts across the country, awards like Gaj Gaurav help ensure that the people protecting these giants are not forgotten.