Himanta Biswa Sarma Honored with Tiger Conservation Leadership Award; Gadkari Receives Innovative Tiger Conservation Project of the Year Award; What Innovative Measures They Took to Safeguard Big Cat from Development?
Sawai Madhopur: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been honored with the Leadership Award for Tiger Conservation, while Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari received the 'Innovative Tiger Conservation Project of the Year' award for the eco-friendly design of National Highway 44, which passes through the Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve.
Both leaders were honored during the fifth Royal Ranthambore International Tiger Week-2026 (ITW)—organized by 'Live 4 Freedom LLP' and concluded on Sunday in Ranthambore, Sawai Madhopur district; their representatives accepted the awards on their behalf. The ITW concluded with a tiger safari in the morning.
Awards were presented across 11 categories
Earlier, the festival's second day (Saturday evening) was dedicated to recognizing the year-long efforts and outcomes regarding tiger conservation across the country. Awards were presented across 11 categories, and children who conveyed the message of tiger conservation through paintings were also felicitated.
The event commenced under the distinguished presence of former Punjab Governor V.P. Badnore, who praised the efforts made by 'Live 4 Freedom' for wildlife. Renowned Bollywood actor, screenwriter, and producer Rahul Singh highlighted the contribution of cinema to wildlife conservation.
During the 'Frontline Protection' session, Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, discussed effective methods for wildlife conservation. In 'The Responsible Safari' session, panelists—including Antara Chatterjee (Digital Editor, Outlook Traveller), Abhishek Kumar (Partner, Indit Associates), Neha Kumar (South Asia Head, Climate Bonds), and Kunwar Angad Dev (Director, Mandawa Group of Hotels)—shared their views on the key rules to be followed during jungle safaris and the responsibilities tourists have towards the forest.
Lifetime Achievement Award to Ravi Singh
At ITW, in addition to Sarma and Gadkari, several others were honored: Ravi Singh (Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India) received the Lifetime Achievement Award; Similipal Tiger Reserve was named Tiger Reserve of the Year; K.C.A. Arun Prasad (Chief Wildlife Warden, Rajasthan) was awarded Tiger Conservation Warden of the Year; the NGO Wildlife SOS received the Tiger Protection and Anti-Poaching Excellence Award; Hemendra Kothari was honored with the Corporate Leadership in Tiger Conservation Award; Prasenjeet Yadav received the Tiger Photography and Film Award; S. Gopikrishna Warrier was named Tiger and Wildlife Journalist of the Year; Dibang Tiger Reserve received the Human-Tiger Coexistence Award; and IFS officer Piyusha Jagtap was honored as Tiger Conservationist of the Year.
Anand Bhardwaj and Sunil Mangal, partners at Live4Freedom, stated that ITW is an initiative aimed at bringing together leaders from the fields of conservation, government, tourism, business, and civil society onto a single platform. These efforts have inspired thousands of people to contribute to tiger conservation. Live4Freedom plans to launch further campaigns similar to ITW to encourage the conservation and preservation of forests and wildlife.