Pioneer of Chipko movement Chandi Prasad Bhatt gets Indira Gandhi award

Chandi Prasad Bhatt

Pioneer of the Chipko movement, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, was awarded the Indira Gandhi award for National Integration on Friday. The award was instituted by the Congress in memory of the late prime minister.

Bhatt has been awarded the award for the years 2017 and 2018 for his “services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country,” the party said in a statement. The award consists of a citation and a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh.

Bhatt (85), who hails from Uttarakhand, had founded the cooperative organisation Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh and led the first Chipko movement near the village of Mandal in 1973. He is also a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership.