Bhupender Yadav Presents 4th Eco Warrior Awards 2026
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav presided over the 4th Eco Warrior Awards in New Delhi, where 15 forest officers were honoured and B. K. Singh got the lifetime award.

Why in News
On 29 September 2026 Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav presided over the 4th Eco Warrior Awards and Conclave in New Delhi, presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Brij Kishore Singh and honouring 15 forest officers.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav presided over the 4th Eco Warrior Awards and the accompanying Eco Warrior Conclave in New Delhi. The awards are organised by the Indian Forest Service Association (IFSA) together with Indian Masterminds, and they recognise work done in forest, wildlife and environmental conservation.
Who was honoured
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Brij Kishore Singh, an IFS officer of the 1976 batch from the Karnataka cadre. His career included work against sandalwood smuggling and against the activities of the brigand Veerappan, alongside forest protection and wildlife conservation duties in Karnataka. In all, 15 forest officers were honoured for exemplary contribution to conservation.
The award categories
| Protected Area Management | Prakash Chand Gogineni (Similipal Tiger Reserve, Odisha); Manish Singh (Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh) |
| Wildlife Protection and Conservation | Selvi S. Senbagapriya (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu); Sanjeev Sharma (Palampur, Himachal Pradesh) |
| Environment Conservation | Dharm Singh Meena (Bhagirathi Circle, Uttarakhand); Suman Shivashankar Sivachar (Wokha, Nagaland) |
| Community Connect | Dhawan Kumar Rawat (Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh); Gurharsh Singh (Rampur, Himachal Pradesh) |
| Best Use of Technology | N. Jayaraj (Hosur, Tamil Nadu); Ramsundar M. (Rajgir Zoo Safari, Bihar) |
| Special Jury Award | Savita Dahiya (Barmer, Rajasthan); K. Karthikeyani (Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu) |
A Special Projects Recognition went to Project Elephant and to the Great Indian Bustard conservation project in Rajasthan. One of the Special Jury citations covered a campaign that removed 239 illegal guns from the landscape while strengthening elephant protection, and another covered the restoration of the Tal Chhapar grassland for blackbuck and chinkara.
What the Minister said
Yadav described conservation as a national responsibility and not merely a government one. He called India's forests vital ecological infrastructure supporting water, climate, soil, biodiversity and livelihoods, and named tribal and forest-dependent communities as partners in conservation. He listed climate change, extreme weather, forest fires, water stress, habitat fragmentation and invasive species as the emerging challenges, and urged a landscape approach that ties together forests, wildlife, agriculture, water, livelihoods and human settlements. The Conclave held three panel discussions, on artificial intelligence and technology for conservation, the role of corporates in forest management, and sustainable development and environmental ethics.
Important Facts
| Event | 4th Eco Warrior Awards and Eco Warrior Conclave |
|---|---|
| Presided over by | Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav |
| Organisers | Indian Forest Service Association (IFSA) and Indian Masterminds |
| Venue | New Delhi |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Brij Kishore Singh, IFS 1976 batch, Karnataka cadre |
| Officers honoured | 15 forest officers |
| Special Projects Recognition | Project Elephant and the Great Indian Bustard conservation project, Rajasthan |
| Conclave panels | AI and technology for conservation; role of corporates in forest management; sustainable development and environmental ethics |
Exam Point of View
Remember the edition (4th), the year (2026), the minister (Bhupender Yadav), the organisers (IFSA with Indian Masterminds), the venue (New Delhi), the lifetime awardee (Brij Kishore Singh, 1976 batch, Karnataka cadre) and the two projects given special recognition: Project Elephant and the Great Indian Bustard project.
Practice Questions
Who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 4th Eco Warrior Awards 2026?
- A.Sushil Kumar Awasthi
- B.Brij Kishore Singh
- C.Bharat Lal
- D.Anita Karn
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Brij Kishore Singh
Explanation
The correct answer is Brij Kishore Singh. He is an Indian Forest Service officer of the 1976 batch from the Karnataka cadre, and the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to him by the Union Environment Minister in recognition of decades of work in forest and wildlife conservation, including efforts against sandalwood smuggling and against the activities of the brigand Veerappan. Option A names the Director General of Forests and Special Secretary in the environment ministry, who attended the event but was not the awardee. Option C names a former Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission, also present among the guests rather than among those honoured. Option D names the President of the Indian Forest Service Association, the body that organises the awards, which again is a different role from that of the recipient. Only option B matches the citation.
Which association organises the Eco Warrior Awards along with Indian Masterminds?
- A.Indian Forest Service Association
- B.Wildlife Institute of India
- C.Botanical Survey of India
- D.Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Indian Forest Service Association
Explanation
The correct answer is the Indian Forest Service Association, usually written as IFSA. It organises the Eco Warrior Awards and the Eco Warrior Conclave jointly with Indian Masterminds, and the fourth edition was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Option B, the Wildlife Institute of India, is a research and training institution in the wildlife field, not the organiser of these awards. Option C, the Botanical Survey of India, is the body that surveys the country's plant resources, a different mandate altogether. Option D is the research and education council for forestry, which conducts and coordinates forestry research rather than running this award programme. Candidates should link the Eco Warrior Awards firmly with IFSA and with Indian Masterminds.
Which two projects were given the Special Projects Recognition at the event?
- A.Project Tiger and Project Snow Leopard
- B.Project Elephant and the Great Indian Bustard conservation project
- C.Project Dolphin and Project Cheetah
- D.Project Crocodile and Project Hangul
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Project Elephant and the Great Indian Bustard conservation project
Explanation
The correct answer is Project Elephant and the Great Indian Bustard conservation project. The Special Projects Recognition at the fourth edition of the awards went to these two efforts for their contribution to the conservation of species and of habitat, the bustard project being the one running in Rajasthan. Option A names two well known conservation programmes, but neither was the recipient of this particular recognition. Option C names two more recent programmes in the same field, which again were not cited here. Option D names older species specific programmes, and they too were not among the projects recognised at this event. Since several conservation projects carry similar names, it is worth memorising the exact pairing recognised at each edition of an award, because questions are frequently framed on precisely that detail.
How many forest officers were honoured for exemplary contribution to environmental conservation at the awards?
- A.10
- B.12
- C.15
- D.20
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 15
Explanation
The correct answer is 15. That is the number of forest officers honoured at the fourth edition of the Eco Warrior Awards for exemplary contribution to environmental conservation, in addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award presented separately to a senior officer of the service. The honours were spread across categories covering protected area management, wildlife protection and conservation, environment conservation, community connect, the best use of technology and a special jury citation, with two officers recognised in each of those categories. Options A, B and D give figures that do not match the count announced at the ceremony. For the examination it helps to remember the number alongside the edition of the award and the year, since a question may combine all three details in a single statement to be judged true or false.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 4th Eco Warrior Awards?
Brij Kishore Singh, an IFS officer of the 1976 batch from the Karnataka cadre. His career included work against sandalwood smuggling and against the brigand Veerappan, besides forest protection and wildlife conservation in Karnataka.
Who organises the Eco Warrior Awards?
The Indian Forest Service Association, known as IFSA, organises them together with Indian Masterminds. The 4th edition was held in New Delhi and was presided over by the Union Environment Minister.
Which projects received the Special Projects Recognition?
Project Elephant and the Great Indian Bustard conservation project in Rajasthan, for their contribution to the conservation of species and of habitat.
Sources
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