Prafulla Samantara, Indian activist who spent over 12 years battling the Odisha government and London-based mining corporation Vedanta Resources, has become one of the six winners of the 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize. Also called the 'Green Nobel', the prize was first awarded in 1990, and focuses on grass-roots environmental activism.
Recipients of the award, each receive a $175,000 no-strings attached cash grant. In a recent interview, a Khadi-clad Samantara, 65, said, “This prize will encourage people like us to protect the resources that indigenous people depend on. It will encourage people globally to combat climate change.” He added, “In Odisha, the way industrialisation is happening, with mindless mining, is not benefiting the common people. The green cover is being destroyed. Poverty zones are being created, as the forest and agricultural economies are lost. The government of India has no national policy on how to use resources efficiently. Minerals are being handed over to corporations at very cheap rates.”
“There must be balance between nature, human need, and development. The earth must provide enough to meet everyone’s needs, but not everyone's greed.” Criticising the Modi government, Samantara said, “This government is 100 per cent for corporates. They are trying to change environmental laws so that there will be no restrictions for corporations, and they are diluting laws that support villagers.”
Program Officer for Asia and Europe at the Goldman Environmental Prize, Lindsey Freedman said, “Samantara led a 12-year movement against bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri Hills, launching a historic court battle that resulted in a precedent-setting court ruling that rejected OMC's bid to mine bauxite and strengthened indigenous tribes' decision-making power over mining projects on their land. His activism led to the preservation of the biodiverse Niyamgiri Hills and the homeland of the Dongria Kondh, ensuring that the hills' pristine forests and critical water sources remain untouched.”
