Uttarakhand Ratna


Uttarakhand Ratna is the highest civilian award of the State of Uttarakhand. It is awarded to a person for their extraordinary contribution in any field of human endeavour. It was constituted in the year 2016 by the Government of Uttarakhand. There have been a total of 9 recipients of this award.

History

The Uttarakhand Ratna award was constituted by former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat in 2016, on the occasion of 16th anniversary of Uttarakhand State Foundation Day which falls on 9 November each year.

The Award

The recipients of Uttarakhand Ratna each get a memento, commendation letter and shawl with a sum of ₹500,000.

List of Uttarakhand Ratna recipients

YearImageLaureatesLife spanField / WorkNotes
2016Badri Datt Pandey1882–1965Indian independence movement, Coolie-Begar movementPopularly known as Kumaon Kesari, Pandey was a historian, journalist and independence activist from Uttarakhand. In post-independence India, he was elected Member of Parliament to the 1st Lok Sabha from Almora.
2016Chandra Singh Garhwali1891–1979Indian independence movementVeer Chandra Singh Garhwali as he is popularly known, was a British Indian Army World War I veteran of the Royal Garhwal Rifles. He's famed for defying the orders of British Army officers to fire the unarmed protestors in Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province.
2016Gaura Devi1925–1991Chipko movementGaura Devi is known for leading the Chipko environmental movement in the Garhwal Himalayas region of Uttarakhand.
2016Ghanshyam Giri
–
Social serviceMahant Ghanshyam Giri is a spiritual leader, social activist and former MLA elected to the 4th Uttar Pradesh Assembly from Haridwar.
2016Indramani Badoni1924–1999Indian independence movement, Uttarakhand movement, Social serviceVeteran politician, freedom fighter and a social activist from Uttarakhand, Badoni is known for his leading role in the Uttarakhand statehood movement. He was a founding member of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal. He's popularly called the Gandhi of Uttarakhand for his practice of non-violence and satyagraha.
2016Jayanand Bharati1881–1952Indian independence movement, Social reformJayanand Bharati was an Independence activist and social reformer known for leading the Dola-Palki movement in Garhwal, Uttarakhand. He is also credited for the promotion and expansion of Arya Samaj in Uttarakhand.
2016Mangla Deviborn 1956Social Service, PhilanthropyMata Mangla is a spiritual leader associated with the Divine Light Mission. Known for her social and philanthropic work in the fields of health and education.
2016N. D. Tiwari1925–2018PoliticsVeteran politician and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Tiwari also served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh thrice in the undivided Uttar Pradesh. He held union cabinet protfolios of finance, defence and external affairs in the Rajiv Gandhi ministry.
2016Sri Dev Suman1916–1944Indian independence movement, Civil and political rights activismSri Dev Suman was an independence activist, journalist and civil rights leader from the Princely State of Tehri Garhwal. He founded the Himalaya Seva Sangh and Tehri Rajya Praja Mandal Parishad to lead the resistance against the authoritarian regime of princely state for which he was imprisoned in Tehri, where he went on his historical 84 days hunger strike that ultimately claimed his life at the age of 28.