Joginipally Santosh Kumar Honoured as Global Green Icon

Key facts

• Joginipally Santosh Kumar, a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, was conferred the title of "Global Green Icon" at the World Climate Leaders Conclave held at the House of Lords in London, United Kingdom (UK).
• The award recognised his contributions to ecological restoration, large-scale afforestation, and citizen-led climate action initiatives from the Global South.
• He is the founder of the Green India Challenge, a citizen-led afforestation movement that mobilises students and farmers across India for tree planting and ecological rewilding.
• The recognition highlighted the Telanganaku Haritha Haram programme in Telangana, which aimed to increase the state's green cover from 21 per cent to 33 per cent by planting 2.8 billion trees.
• The Telanganaku Haritha Haram programme resulted in a nearly 8 per cent increase in green cover and an increase in the tiger population in the Nallamala forest region from 12 to 44.
• Joginipally Santosh Kumar serves as the Chairman of the Igniting Minds Organisation, a section-8 non-profit.
• His environmental work has received recognition at international forums, including the Conference of the Parties (COP29) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16.