On September 26, 2025, the President of India Droupadi Murmu presented the National Geoscience Awards (NGA) for 2024 of the Ministry of Mines (MoM) on 20 Geoscientists during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The ceremony was graced by the presence of Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Piyush Goyal, Secretary, Ministry of Mines (MoM), Asit Saha, Director General (DG), Geological Survey of India and several other senior officials.
Exam Hints:
- What? President Droupadi Murmu presents National Geoscience Awards 2024
- Location: Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, Delhi
- Total awards: 12 awards (9 individual and 3 team awards) to 20 Geoscientists
- Categories & Awardees:
- National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement – Prof. Shyam Sundar Rai – (5 lakhs and a Certificate)
- National Geoscience Awards – 10 awards (3 Team Award + 7 individual Awards) – (Rs. 3 lakh and a certificate)
- National Young Geoscientist Award – Susobhan Neogi – (1 lakh, a research grant of 5 lakhs and a Certificate)
About National Geoscience Awards – 2024:
Selection: From the 208 nominations received by the MoM based on the categories given below, a total of 12 awards has been finalized, which includes 9 individual and 3 team awards, presented to 20 Geoscientists.
| Category of Awards | Number of Awards |
|---|---|
| National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement | 1 |
| National Geoscience Awards | 10 (3 Team Award + 7 individual Awards) |
| National Young Geoscientist Award | 1 |
| Total | 12 Awards (20 Awardees) |
Awardees for the National Geoscience Awards-2024:
National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement:
Winner: Professor Shyam Sundar Rai, Senior Scientist at INSA and Visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Maharashtra, was recognized for his career and contributions to geophysics and seismology, particularly his research on Earth structure, earthquake dynamics, and the India-Himalayan-Tibet region.
Specification: Presented to an individual with an exceptionally high lifetime achievement for sustained and significant contributions in any of the disciplines mentioned in Clause-2 of NGA Regulations 2022.
Prize: The award presented in the form of a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and a certificate.
National Young Geoscientist Award:
Winner: Susobhan Neogi, Senior Geologist, Geological Survey of India (GSI), received this award for his outstanding research in geosciences.
Specification: Presented for outstanding research work in any field of geosciences to an individual born on or before 31st December of the preceding year whose as should be below 35 years, in which the nominations are invited.
Prize: The award is presented as a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh plus a research grant of Rs. 5 Lakh spread over 5 years subject to satisfactory yearly progress and a certificate.
National Geoscience Award:
Specification: Presented to o individuals or team(s) in recognition of meritorious contribution in any of the disciplines mentioned in Clause-2 of NGA Regulations 2022. The award is presented for various fields under 4 different sections,
- SECTION- I – Mineral Discovery & Exploration
- SECTION- II – Mining, Mineral Beneficiation and Sustainable Mineral Development
- SECTION- III – Basic Geosciences
- SECTION- IV – Applied Geosciences
The team award nomination can comprise a maximum of FOUR members and the number of team awards shall not exceed THREE.
Prize: Each award carries a cash prize of Rs. 3 lakh and a certificate. In the case of a team award, the award money will be equally divided.
| Awardees | Category |
|---|---|
| National Geoscience Awards 2024 | |
| Section– I – Mineral Discovery & Exploration (3 Awards) | |
| Field (i): Mineral Discovery & Exploration (excluding fossil fuels) of economic and/or strategic importance and application of innovative techniques. Out of the two awards in the field, at least one shall be given for critical minerals. (2 Awards) | |
| 1. (GSI) team comprising of, (i) Shri Haraman Mahanta, Senior Geologist, | Team Award |
| 2. GSI team comprising of (i) Shri Navjeet Singh Nayyar, Director, | Team Award |
| Field (ii): Coal, Lignite and Coal Bed Methane Discovery & Exploration of economic and/or strategic importance and application of innovative techniques and Oil, Natural Gas, Shale Gas and Gas Hydrates Discovery & Exploration (including project development and planning leading to exploitation of resource and reservoir management). (1 Award) | |
| GSI team comprising of (i) Smt. Sradhanjali Subhadarshini, Superintending Geologist, | Team Award |
| SECTION II: Mining Technology, Mineral Beneficiation & Sustainable Mineral Development (2 Awards) | |
| Field (iii): Mining Technology including development and application of new methods and technologies, research & development. Conservation of mineral resources, systematic mine planning, mine safety, mine fires, mine hazards, mine reclamation & rehabilitation. (1 Award) | |
| Dr. Jai Krishna Pandey Chief Scientist, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad | Individual Award |
| Field (iv): Mineral Beneficiation (including mineral processing, project development for utilization of low-grade ores & production of value-added mineral products and mineral economics) and Sustainable Mineral Development (including mine closure, project development, institutional development and capacity building). (1 Award) | |
| Dr. Ranjeet Kumar Singh Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur | Individual Award |
| SECTION III: Basic Geosciences (2 Awards) | |
| Field (v): Basic Geosciences including Stratigraphy, Structural Geology, Paleontology, Geodynamics, Geochemistry, geochronology and Isotope Geology, Ocean Development (Oceanography and Marine Geology), Glaciology and Arctic & Antarctic Research including Geoscientific Expeditions: and science surveys/baseline geoscience data collection including Geological and Geochemical mapping & survey and Systematic Thematic mapping. (2 Awards) | |
| Individual Award |
| Individual Award |
| SECTION IV: Applied Geosciences (3 Awards) | |
| Field (vi): Applied Geology: Engineering Geology, Geothermal Energy, Seismotectonics, Geostatistics, Remote Sensing and Geo-Information System (including spatial data management applications and data integration); Groundwater Exploration (including project development, hydrogeological studies and management of groundwater resources; GeoEnvironmental Studies relating to mining, urban, industrial, coastal and desert management, paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, medical geology, climate change and studies related to their impact on ecosystem. (1 Award) | |
| Prof. Ghulam Jeelani Professor, Dept. of Earth Sciences and Dean, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Kashmir | Individual Award |
| Field (vii): Geophysics / Applied Geophysics: New Technologies in geophysical exploration, application of geophysical methods, geomagnetism, geophysical survey techniques and instrumentation. (1 Award) | |
| Prof. Sanjit Kumar Pal Professor & Head, Department of Applied Geophysics, IIT (ISM), Dhanbad | Individual Award |
| Field (viii): Natural Hazard Investigation including scientific studies related to natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, floods and tsunamis. (1 Award) | |
| Prof. Mukat Lal Sharma Professor, Earthquake Engineering and Head, International Center of Excellence for Dams, IIT-Roorkee | Individual Award |
About National Geoscience Awards (NGA):
It was instituted in 1966 by the Ministry of Mines (MoM), honour outstanding individuals and organizations for their excellence, dedication, and innovation in the field of Geosciences.
- These awards are conferred in categories such as Mineral Discovery and Exploration, Basic Geosciences, Applied Geosciences, and Mining, Mineral Beneficiation, and Sustainable Mineral Development.
- Click Here for Full Information about NGA
About Geological Survey of India (GSI):
Director General(DG)– Asit Saha
Headquartered– Kolkata, West Bengal (WB)
Establishment– 1851
