Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust Award for Reporting on Environmental/Development Issues
The Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust (PBMT) gives an annual award for reporting on Environmental/Development issues which consists of a citation and cash award of Rs.100,000/- (one lakh) for the best, consistent reporting/in-depth analysis of key environmental/development issues. The award was constituted in 2004. It is not given for any single piece of writing but rather for sustained work over time uncovering key environmental/development matters, often largely ignored or downplayed by mainstream media and for which space and attention has been individually battled. It includes a look beyond the national press to regional and local reporting/analysis of significance.
From 2009 -2015 the jury has been chaired by Dr. Vandana Shiva. Members of the jury have been drawn from amongst leading environmentalists and development experts such as Dr. P Sainath, Dr. Sunita Narain, Dr. Ashok Khosla, (now late) Dr.Ramaswamy, Dr. Ashok Parthasarthi.
Since 2009 the Convenor for the Prem Bhatia Environment/Development Award is veteran journalist Rami Chhabra and this year Dr P Sainath is Chair.
The following have received the award since 2004:
2004: Dr. Ashok B Sharma, Financial Express
2005:Mr.Jay Mazoomdar, The Indian Express for focusing on the vanishing tiger population.
2006: Mr.Atul Chandrakant Deulgaonkar,Independent Journalist, Maharashtra
2007:Mr. Max Martin, Independent Journalist editing indiadisaster.org
2008:Ms. Keya Acharya, independent Journalist, Karnataka
2009: Ms Gargi Parsai, The Hindu, for consistent reporting of environmental, agriculture and water issues.
2010:Mr. Rajkumar Keswani , Independent Journalist, for sustained contribution in raising the voice of conscience and continuing focus on the public dangers from the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal.
2011: Jointly -Madhu Raj Photo Journalist, Matrabhoomi with G. Nirmala, Samakalika Malyalam Vaarika for their respective contribution in highlighting the Endosulphan tragedy in Kerala.
2012: Ms. Shalini Singh, Hindustan Times, Delhi for her vigilant and comprehensive reporting on Goa illegal mining, maltourism and other issues.
2013: Mr. Jaideep Hardikar The Telegraph for well-researched and well-documented work on massive human displacement, agrarian distress, dubious water-markets, forest rights struggles.
2014: Mr. Nitin Sethi, Business Standard for consistent, topical and courageous staking of facts and viewpoints often at variance with the editorial positions where published with complex issues on a range of environmental subjects simplified and richly contextualised for the lay person.
2015: Ms. Priyanka Kakodkar, Times Of India, for the series on the Marathwada agrarian crisis combining painstaking ground work with research and data highlighting the linkages and roots in illadvised , often deliberate policy choices , carving out influential space through hard personal endeavour.
2016: Mr. Regi Joseph for forceful boots-on-the-ground hands-on reporting skills that have brought alive both the locale and the open yet unvisibilised human misery of his compatriots, intelligently collating and marshalling evidence that makes what is highlighted not just poignant but most pertinent and political.
Nominations with CV (or self-nomination) alongside a few lines on why the award is merited, together with a selection of writings may kindly be sent within the next four weeks to rami.chhabra@gmail.com or couriered to her at “Aalna” B5/19 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi-29. Final cut-off date for receiving entries whether by post or online is 5th June midnight.
The Jury will finalise by end-June and the award will be announced to the press in first week of July. It is given at the annual PBMT award and lecture event at India International Centre on 11th August.
Rami Chhabra
2nd May 2017