Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman

Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman
Highest civilian award of Uttarakhand
Awarded forAwarded for contributions in any field of human endeavour
Sponsored byGovernment of Uttarakhand
LocationUttarakhand
CountryIndia
Presented byGovernor of Uttarakhand / Chief Minister of Uttarakhand
First award2021
Final award2024
Highlights
Total awarded19
First winner
Precedence
Next (higher) Padma Shri
EquivalentUttarakhand Ratna
Next (lower)Uttarakhand Lifetime Achievement Award

The Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman is one of the two highest civilian award of the State of Uttarakhand, along with Uttarakhand Ratna. It is awarded to a person for their extraordinary contribution in any field of human endeavour. It was constituted in the year 2021 by the Government of Uttarakhand. There have been a total of 8 recipients of this award.[1][2]

Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman 2025

On the occasion of Uttarakhand State Foundation Day Silver Jubilee celebrations on November 7, 2025, the Government of Uttarakhand conferred Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman[3] upon several following renowned personalities for their contribution to the state's progress. Here is the complete list of the award recipients:

  1. Padma Shri and Olympic Medallion Jaspal Rana (Shooter)
  2. Entrepreneur, Chinese Actor & Social Worker Dev Raturi
  3. Late Actor & Writer Tom Alter
  4. Late Statehood Activist Sushila Baluni[4][5]
  5. Late Chipko Movement Leader Gaura Devi
  6. Geologist Khadg Singh Valdiya
  7. Warrior Teelu Rauteli
  8. Writer Shailesh Matiyani

History

The Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman award was constituted by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami in 2021, on the occasion of 21st anniversary of Uttarakhand State Foundation Day which falls on 9 November each year.[6]

List of Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman recipients

Key
   # Posthumous recipient

The recipients of Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman are as follows:

Year Image Laureates Life span Field / Work Notes
2021 Bachendri Pal born 1954 Adventure sport Mountaineer, first Indian woman to ascent Mount Everest, recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, Arjuna Award, and Yash Bharati.
Anil Prakash Joshi born 1955 Environmentalism z
Narayan Datt Tiwari# 1925–2018 Public affair Veteran politician and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (2002–2007), Tiwari also served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh thrice in the undivided Uttar Pradesh. He held union cabinet portfolios of finance, defence and external affairs in the Rajiv Gandhi ministry.
Narendra Singh Negi born 1949 Music Uttarakhandi folk musician and singer, recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Ruskin Bond born 1934 Literature Writer, recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi Award, and John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.
2022 Ajit Doval
KC
born 1945 Intelligence and security 5th National Security Advisor, 18th Director of the Intelligence Bureau, recipient of President's Police Medal and Police Medal.
General Bipin Rawat#
PVSM UYSM AVSM YSM SM VSM ADC
1958–2021 Defence 1st Chief of Defence Staff, 57th Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, 27th Chief of the Army Staff, recipient of Padma Vibhushan.
Girish Tiwari# 1945–2010 Music Uttarakhandi folk musician and singer.
Prasoon Joshi born 1971 Cinema Poet, writer, lyricist, 28th Chairman of Central Board of Film Certification, recipient of Padma Shri, National Film Awards, and Filmfare Awards
Viren Dangwal# 1947–2015 Literature Poet, recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award
2023 Basanti Bisht born 1953 Music Jagar singer, recipient of Padma Shri.
Madhuri Barthwal ? Uttarakhandi folk musician and singer, recipient of Padma Shri.
Rajendra Singh Bisht ? Environmentalism Environmentalist.
Sachidanand Bharti born 1955 Environmentalist, recipient of Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar
2024 General Anil Chauhan
PVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM
born 1961 Defence 2nd Chief of Defence Staff, 58th Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Hemant Pandey born 1970 Cinema Actor.
Dr. Mahesh Kuriyal ? Healthcare Neurosurgeon.
Mangala Devi born 1956 Social service, Philanthropy Spiritual leader associated with the Divine Light Mission. Known for her social and philanthropic work in the fields of health and education.
Pritam Bhartwan born 1970 Music Jagar singer, recipient of Padma Shri.
2025 Jaspal Rana born

1976

Sports Gold Medalist, 25 m center fire pistol, Hiroshima Olympics 1994
Dev Raturi born

1976

Entrepreneurship Entrrepreneur, actor, social activist, known for acting in Chinese films[7], features in Chinese textbooks[8]

Tom Alter

1950 – 2017 Acting Recipient of Padma Shri, notable Indian actor, writer, theater artist, known for acting in

Sushila Baluni

1939-2023 Social Work Senior Uttarakhand state activist [9] and former chairperson of the Uttarakhand Women’s Commission

Gaura Devi

1925-1991 Community Leadership One of the faces of the Chipko Movement, grassroot activist and a rural women community leader

Khadg Singh Valdiya

1937-2020 Geology Indian geologist [10] and a former vice chancellor of Kumaon University

Teelu Rauteli

1661-1681 Warrior A Garhwali warrior and folk heroine, credited with fighting seven wars between the ages of fifteen and twenty

Shailesh Matiyani

1931-2001 Literature A Hindi writer, poet, essayist from Uttarakhand, known for his short stories

See also

References

  1. ^ Sunil Negi. "Government announced Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman on the eve of state foundation day". M.jagran.com. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  2. ^ "Uttarakhand Foundation Day 2021: Five Personalities Will Be Honored To Uttarakhand Gaurav Award - राज्य स्थापना दिवस 2021: उत्तराखंड गौरव पुरस्कार की घोषणा, प्रदेश की पांच विभूतियों को मिलेगा सम्मान - Amar Ujala Hindi News Live". Amarujala.com. 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  3. ^ "07-11-2025 : Governor Takes Salute at Ceremonial Parade During the State Foundation Day Silver Jubilee Celebrations. | LOK BHAVAN UTTARAKHAND | India". governoruk.gov.in. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  4. ^ Post, Garhwal (2023-05-11). "Leading statehood agitation leader Sushila Balooni passes away at 84 | Garhwal Post". Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  5. ^ "09-05-2023 : Governor has condoled the demise of senior Uttarakhand state activist and former chairperson of the Uttarakhand Women's Commission, Mrs. Sushila Baluni. | LOK BHAVAN UTTARAKHAND | India". governoruk.gov.in. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  6. ^ "Uttarakhand DIPR on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-04-30.
  7. ^ "Dev Raturi | Actor, Production Department, Location Management". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  8. ^ "Dev Raturi: Uttarakhand man movie star in China, features in textbook". The Times of India. 2023-07-26. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  9. ^ "09-05-2023 : Governor has condoled the demise of senior Uttarakhand state activist and former chairperson of the Uttarakhand Women's Commission, Mrs. Sushila Baluni. | LOK BHAVAN UTTARAKHAND | India". Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  10. ^ "Khadg Singh Valdiya – Asian Scientist Magazine". www.asianscientist.com. Retrieved 2025-12-21.