Indian  National   Chapter    (INC)   of   International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH)

Announcement of INC-IAH Award of 2024

Based upon the opinion and recommendation of the panel of Hon’ble Jury members, the EC approved the recommendation of the Jury for the award of the INC IAH Award as follow:

• Life Time Achievement Award : Sri Anand Kumar Agarwal, Former Chairman , CGWB, GOI
• Ground Water Excellence Award : Professor (Dr) Abhijit Mukherjee , Professor, IIT , Kharagpur
• Young Scientist Award : Dr Chinmay Dongre, Asst Professor, Deptt of Geology, M.S. University, Vadodara
• Best Paper Award:
• (a) Female category : Dr Seema R Basarikatti, KLS VRD Institute of Technology, Haliyal, Karnataka
• (b) Male category : Dr Aditya Shekhar, MLNIT, Allahabad
• Best Ph. D. Thesis Award : Dr Vipin Garg, Central University of Rajasthan, Kishangarh, Ajmer
• Best Post-Graduate Dissertation Award : Mr Amit Sharma, Jammu University , Jammu

Announcement of INC-IAH Award of 2023

Based upon the opinion and recommendation of the panel of Hon’ble Jury members, the EC approved the recommendation of the Jury for the award of the INC IAH Award as follow:

• Life Time Achievement Award : Prof. (Dr.) N. J. Pawar
• Ground Water Excellence Award : Prof. Prasoon Kumar Singh
• Young Scientist Award : Dr. Rambabu Singh
• Best Paper Award: (a) Female category : Dr. Yogita Dashora (b) Male category : Dr. Abhishek Pandey
• Best Ph. D. Thesis Award : Dr. Tanveer Ali Dar
• Best Post-Graduate Dissertation Award : Mr. Aditya Shandilya

1. Life Time Achievement Award

 Professor Dr. N. J. Pawar, a distinguished geologist, has made significant contributions to hydrogeology, environmental geochemistry, and higher education. Born in June 1957, he earned his B.Sc. from Shivaji University, Kolhapur (1974), M.Sc. from the University of Pune (1980), and Ph.D. (1985). His research excellence earned him the Young Scientist Award (1984) from the Indian Science Congress Association and two British Council Fellowships for post-doctoral research at the University of East Anglia, U.K. With over 35 years in academia, Dr. Pawar has served as Lecturer, Reader, and Professor at the University of Pune, holding key positions, including Head of the Geology Department. As Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur (2010-2015), he introduced major academic reforms, including the semester system at the undergraduate level and the Choice-Based Credit System at the postgraduate level, enhancing the university’s national and international standing. His pioneering research spans groundwater geochemistry, heavy metal contamination, and climate change mitigation. He has guided 18 Ph.D. students, published over 100 research papers, and contributed to scientific literature through edited volumes and translations. Recognized by the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences and the Geological Society of India, he has also collaborated on national and international research projects, including partnerships with Osaka City University, Japan, and ISRO. Currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, since 2019, Dr. Pawar continues to advance research, academic excellence, and industry collaborations, leaving a lasting impact on higher education and scientific research.

2. Ground Water Excellence Award

 Prof. Prasoon Kumar Singh is a distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Science & Engineering at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, with over 30 years of expertise in Environmental Hydrogeology. His research focuses on groundwater contamination, hydrogeochemical assessments, aquifer vulnerability, and water stress zones, particularly in coal mining and industrial regions. As a Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI, he has led multiple R&D projects funded by Coal India Limited (CIL), Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), UGC, GMDC, DVC, and Birla Corporation Limited, developing strategies for groundwater potential assessment, contamination evaluation, and AI/ML-based water-stress analysis. His GIS-based groundwater vulnerability mapping aids decision-making for sustainable resource management. Prof. Singh has mentored 25 Ph.D. and 38 M.Tech. scholars and published over 50 research papers in high-impact journals on groundwater sustainability, pollution indices, and remediation techniques. Recognized by MOEF&CC, DEAC, AICTE, QCI-NABET, and UPSC, he serves as an expert member and journal reviewer. He also teaches two popular SWAYAM-NPTEL courses on groundwater management and environmental geosciences. Recently, he was appointed Chairman of the Technical Committee for Accreditation Scheme for Prospecting Agency (APA) and Mining Plan Preparing Agency (MPPA) by QCI-NABET. A Gold Medalist in his post-graduation, he has received numerous accolades, including the Prize Book Award, Best Paper Award, and Research Ratna Award, reflecting his impactful contributions to groundwater research and management.

3. Young Scientist Award

 Dr. Rambabu Singh holds an M.Sc. Tech and Ph.D. in Applied Geology from IIT(ISM), Dhanbad. He is a QCI-NABET certified Project Coordinator (GWCO) and Functional Area Expert (Cat-A) in Hydrogeology. He serves as a Member of the Board of Studies (BoS), Department of Geology, Central University of Punjab and has fourteen years (2011–present) of industry experience. Throughout his tenure, he has held key positions, including In-charge of the Hydrogeology Division, Nodal Officer (Mine Water Cell), and Manager (Geology) at CMPDIL, Coal India Limited (A Maha Ratna PSU, Government of India). Dr. Singh has played a pivotal role in implementing remedial and water conservation measures to safeguard water resources and promote ecologically sustainable industrial development (ESID) in coal mining regions. He has made outstanding scientific contributions, authoring 37 research publications, including 24 papers in high-impact Q1-Q3 Web of Science journals. His research includes a landmark study in Scientific Reports (Nature Research), a pioneering contribution to medical geology in India, and a key publication in Ore Geology Reviews, offering new insights into placer deposits along India’s east coast. A significant milestone in his career is the incorporation of Groundwater Estimation Committee (GEC)-2015 guidelines for climate-resilient groundwater rationing in mining, marking India’s first-ever such application (2019). He also conducted a ground-breaking 3D Numerical Groundwater Modelling with a 21-layer aquifer system for Asia’s largest coal mine, Gevra OC-the first-of-its-kind study in India (2022), with global implications for mine water management. Beyond research, Dr. Singh has supervised Ph.D. research work and actively reviews manuscripts for international journals, reinforcing his influence in the field of hydrogeology.

4. Best Paper Award

4(a) Female category

 Dr. Yogita Dashora is a postdoctoral researcher specializing in hydrogeology, with a focus on Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) and community-based groundwater management in semi-arid regions. She is currently working on the DANIDA-IWRM Project with the University of Copenhagen and is also associated with the MARVI Project at Vidya Bhavan Polytechnic College, Udaipur. She holds a Ph.D. in Irrigation Water Management Engineering from Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (MPUAT), Udaipur, where her research focused on MAR structures in the Dharta Watershed. She has worked as a Senior Research Fellow (SRF) on major water projects, including the Som Kamla Amba Irrigation Project and MARVI. Over the past decade, Dr. Dashora has contributed to three major research projects led by Western Sydney University (Australia), Central Water Commission (India), and the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). She has secured prestigious grants and fellowships, including the DANIDA Fellowship (2023), UNESCO Grants (2016, 2017), South Australian Rajasthan Water Management Fellowship (2017), and IWMI Fellowship (2013-2015). Her research output includes 11 journal publications, 9 conference papers, a co-authored book, and a chapter in “Exemplary Case Studies of Sustainable and Economic MAR” (UNESCO-IAH-GRIPP). She has delivered keynote presentations at various conferences and is a sponsored member of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and a life member of the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers (ISAE). Dr. Dashora is proficient in Hindi (native) and English (professional) and continues to contribute significantly to groundwater and water resources management through research, policy engagement, and community-based interventions..

4(b) Male category

 Mr. Abhishek Pandey Bharat is currently a Project Associate and pursuing his Ph.D. at the AcSIR, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad. He completed his B.Sc. in Geology from Dr. Harisingh Gour University and his M.Sc. in Geology from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, in 2017, securing first merit. He was awarded the prestigious DST-INSPIRE Fellowship and worked as a Junior Research Fellow (2018-2020) and Senior Research Fellow (2020-2023). His research focuses on coal mine water geochemistry, particularly water quality assessment, contaminant source evaluation, and the impact of mining on surrounding groundwater resources. His key areas of interest include major ion chemistry, rock-water interaction, ion exchange processes, heavy metal geochemistry, source apportionment of contaminants, water quality indexing, human health risk assessment, stable isotope geochemistry for understanding groundwater recharge mechanisms, and sustainable mine water management and utilization. Mr. Bharat has published research articles in reputed SCI journals such as the *International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry and Ecology,* and *Chemosphere*. Additionally, he has contributed a book chapter, currently in pre-print, for CRC Press (*Mining Impact on Soil and Water Resources*). He has actively participated in national and international conferences, presenting his research at events such as the India International Science Festival (2019), World Environment Summit (2022), the 108th Indian Science Congress (2023), and the 3rd International Conference on Pure and Applied Chemistry (2023). Throughout his Ph.D. journey, he has attended several seminars to expand his understanding of water resources and enhance his research perspective.  His work has been recognized through various accolades, including securing 2nd prize for his oral presentation on World Environment Day 2024 at CSIR-CIMFR. With his dedication to scientific research, Mr. Bharat continues to contribute to the field of hydrogeochemistry, aiming to develop sustainable water management solutions for mining-affected regions.

5. Best Ph. D. Thesis Award

 Dr. Tanveer Ali Dar is a distinguished hydrogeologist specializing in groundwater hydrogeology, surface-groundwater interactions, isotope hydrology, and climate change impacts on water resources. He earned his Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from IIT Roorkee, where he investigated surface water-groundwater interactions in the Upper Jhelum Basin using integrated geochemical, isotopic, and modeling approaches. Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA working on climate-driven changes in groundwater recharge patterns in the U.S. Northeast, funded by USGS. His expertise includes hydrological modeling, isotopic tracer studies, and advanced geochemical analyses. Dr. Dar has been recognized with the Young Researcher Award (InSc-2024), and the prestigious Co-PREPARE Indo-German Conference Grant (2021). He has served as a Student Volunteer at AOGS 2024, South Korea, and has been actively engaged in groundwater research initiatives at the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee. He has published extensively in high-impact international journals and has contributed significantly to understanding groundwater sustainability in Himalayan and intermontane basins. His research integrates hydrogeological fieldwork, isotopic techniques (Picarro CRDS, IRMS, ICP-MS), and numerical modeling (MODFLOW, SWAT, HYDRUS) to address emerging challenges in water resource management.

6. Best Post-Graduate Dissertation Award

 Mr. Aditya Shandilya is a geologist with a strong background in hydrogeology and remote sensing. He completed his B.Sc. from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and his M.Sc. from Savitribai Phule Pune University. His research focuses on groundwater quality, land-use changes, and environmental impact assessments. He completed his dissertation work on the topic “Hydrochemical Characterization of Phreatic Groundwater from Dang District, Gujarat”, evaluating its suitability for drinking water. His research contributes valuable insights into groundwater management and sustainable water resource planning for the region. He has extensive field experience across various geological settings, including formations of Central Gujarat, as well as the mainland Kutch region. He has worked in various projects including groundwater quality assessments in Ahmednagar, landslide assessments in Varanda Ghat, and evaluating the impact of water harvesting structures in Satara. Through his diverse fieldwork and research, Mr. Shandilya continues to contribute to the understanding of groundwater systems and environmental geology.

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Announcement of INC-IAH Award of 2022

Based upon the opinion and recommendation of the panel of Hon’ble Jury members, the EC approved the recommendation of the Jury for the award of the INC IAH Award as follow:

• Life Time Achievement Award : Dr S. N. Rai
• Ground Water Excellence Award : Dr Subhash Ch. Singh
• Young Scientist Award : Dr Ashwani Kumar Tiwari
• Best Paper Award: (a) Female category : Dr Paulami Sahu (b) Male category : Dr Rudra Mohan Pradhan

1. Life Time Achievement Award

 Dr. Shivendra Nath Rai received M.Sc and Ph.D. degrees (Geophysics) in 1975 and 1986 from Banaras Hindu University.  Carried out research work at CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute till his superannuation as Chief Scientist in June 2014. Developed new generation of predictive models to describe dynamics of water table in response to time varying recharge and/or pumping. Conducted electrical geophysical surveys in Vidarbha, Marathwada and Konkan areas and in and around Hyderabad city for delineation, development and management of groundwater resources. Published research papers in reputed SCI journals, chapters in book.

2. Ground Water Excellence Award

 Dr Subhash Chandra Singh obtained his  M. Sc. (Tech), Ph.D. in Geophysics and has long  experience of applying Near Surface Geophysics as a geophysicist for groundwater studies He  served  CGWB , in various capacities and retired as Regional Director. Applied Near Surface Geophysics for resolving subsurface Geological geotechnical, Geohydrological and mining related  problems and contributed a good number of scientific papers technical reports. His recent widely publicised   discovery using Near Surface Geophysics is delineation of about 300 km long subterranean flow in limestone rock of MP. which considerably unveils the mystery of the Saraswati River at Prayag. Conferred upon many Awards and honours

3. Young Scientist Award

 Dr Ashwani Kumar Tiwari completed his M.Sc., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Environmental Science. His teaching and research areas are Water quality and resource management; groundwater-seawater interaction, mining and aquifer vulnerability. He is recipient of Erasmus Mundus and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Scholarships and had a very productive four years tenure as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Environment, Polytechnic di Torino, Turin, Italy.  He is chair of   the Research Funding Working Group of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) and is    member of various national and international bodies. He is credited with the publication of good number of research papers in reputed journals 

4. Best Paper Award

4(a) Female category

 Dr. Paulami Sahu, a University of Calcutta Gold Medalist is recipient of 4 design patents (GoI), 15 Awards and many prestigious grants and has published 76 articles, 11 Book chapters, 30 conference papers; She has 904 citations till date and has been Principal Investigator of 4 major projects funded by different national and international funding agencies like CSIR (GoI), DST (GoI), UGC (GoI), CUG etc.; Supervised 07 Ph.D. Research Work. Besides many graduate dissertations work.

4(b) Male category

 Dr. Rudra Mohan Pradhan currently works as a National Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur. Previously, he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA) and IIT Roorkee. He received his Ph.D. (Fault Zone Hydrogeology) from IIT Bombay and M.Sc. from IIT Kharagpur. To his research credit, he has published several research articles in reputed international journals and also is the recipient of several prestigious international fellowships and grants including the DST-National Postdoctoral Fellowship, Indo-US WARI Fellowship, Goldschmidt Grant, AGU Near-Surface Geophysics Grant, GSA International Grant, IAHS-SYSTA, SERB-ITS Grant, etc. Besides being active reviewer of many International Journal, he has travelled widely to participate in many international events.

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Nomination Open for INC-IAH Award (2023)

Submission Date Extended to 12th October, 2024 by 5.00 pm Nov. 08, 2024 5.00 pm Nov. 15, 2024 5.00 pm

About the Award

The INC-IAH Award has been instituted by the Indian National Chapter (INC) of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) as an instrument for the promotion, motivation, and recognition of the excellence in the domain of the science of the groundwater and its sustainable management.

The INC-IAH award is an open competitive annual program for the members of INC- IAH. However, non-members may also be considered for the award subject to the compliance of certain conditions as laid down in guidelines. There will be six awards in the individual categories.

Awards mentioned at Sr. No. 5 and 6 are specifically for the members of INC-IAH only whereas for awards mentioned from Sr. No. 1 to 4 above, are open to even non-INC IAH members.  

Award & Sponsorship

The Award shall carry a citation, plaque, and prize money. The quantum of the prize money may vary from year to year depending upon the fund available with the INC IAH and received from the sponsors. INC-IAH will make necessary endeavour to accumulate the inhouse funds through various activities, advertisements as also from the sponsorship, so that the expenses pertaining to giving away the awards can be met. However, in case of non-availability of the fund in any particular year the cash amount may not be given. For this, the INC- IAH will sincerely pursue to find out the sponsors for the award so that the awardee may be felicitated with the prize money too besides the citation and memento.

Awards Category

1. Lifetime Achievement Award      – One
2. Groundwater Excellence Award – One
3. Young Scientist Award – One
4. Best Paper Award – Two (one for male and one for female)
5. Best Post Graduate Dissertation / Project in Hydrogeology / Groundwater – one
6. Best PhD Thesis in Ground water / Hydrogeology – One

Nomination for INC-IAH Award 2023 is now open. All eligible individuals are invited to submit their applications under different categories. Please refer to the guidelines and, accordingly, submit the application within the deadline. We also encourage non-members with remarkable excellence and track records in the field of groundwater to also submit their nominations. An INC-IAH active member may also nominate the veteran for the Lifetime Achievement award.

In case of any confusion, pls contact

Prof. (Dr.) Bhagwan Singh Chaudhary
Secretary, INC-IAH (2024-2026)
Email: bschaudhary@kuk.ac.in
Mobile: +91-7027666480

Guidelines, Categories of Award and Application Form are available on the link given below

INC-IAH Award Guidelines (2024)
Application Form: Lifetime Achievement Award (2023)

Application Form: Groundwater Excellence Award (2023)

Application Form: Young Scientist Award (2023)

Application Form: Best Paper Award (2023)

Application Form: Best PhD Thesis Award (2023)

Application Form: Best Post Graduate Dissertation / Project Award (2023)

Closing Date: 16th of September, 2024 by 5.00 PM (Extended to 12th October, 2024 by 5.00 pm Nov. 08, 2024 5.00 pm Nov. 15, 2024 5.00 pm

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Closing Date: 20th of February, 2023 at 11.59 PM (Extended to 27th February 2023 at 11.59 PM)

Nomination for INC-IAH Award 2022 is now open. All eligible individuals are invited to submit their applications under different categories. Please refer to the guidelines and, accordingly, submit the application within the deadline. We also encourage non-members with remarkable excellence and track records in the field of groundwater to also submit their nominations. An INC-IAH active member may also nominate the veteran for the Lifetime Achievement award.

Guidelines, Categories of Award and Application Form are available on the link given below

INC-IAH Award Guidelines & Application form
Application Form INC-IAH Lifetime Achievement Award
Application Form INC-IAH Groundwater Excellence Award
Application Form INC-IAH Young Scientist Award
Application Form INC-IAH Best Paper Award
Closing Date: 20th of February, 2023 at 11.59 PM

Standard Operating Procedure for INC-IAH Awards

Introduction

INC-IAH, which stands for Indian National Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists, recognises the services, achievements, and academic excellences of its members in the form of their academic/scientific/ practicing career in groundwater domain, excellent work done for societal benefit and publications of the research work in the peer reviewed international and National journals. The esteemed members of INC-IAH are the scientists and Engineers working in groundwater domain and its cognate disciplines. In order to boost the scientific and academic activities and fervour, achievements, and publications in various fields of development and management of groundwater in India, INC-IAH intends to constitute various awards particularly for its members. It is envisaged that the awards to be given away annually as per the SOP approved by the INC IAH governing body. For the nomination of the INC-IAH awards, any groundwater professional must be a member of INC-IAH. He/she must has made outstanding contributions evidenced through recognisable practices and publications in the field of hydrogeology/ groundwater hydrology/ hydro geochemistry/hydro geophysics, Water well drilling technology, and in overall groundwater management for its sustainable use. in India.

Though the awards are meant for the members, non-members with extraordinary career and achievements in the domain of groundwater science and its practices may also apply and their cases will be duly considered when suitable candidates for the award of any particular category are not available from the INC-IAH members. In matter of publication the impact factor of the journal wherein the work is published, and its citation will be given due weightage.

The aim of this award is to provide continuous encouragement and motivation to the potential groundwater researchers and professionals. In order to identify most eligible awardee out of the received applications as also nominations for some special category, a standard Operation Procedure (SOP) with relevant guidelines is being framed which after the approval by the Governing body of INC IAH shall become effective. The guidelines hold the information on the eligibility criteria of the awards constituted by of the INC-IAH in the field of Hydrogeology/Groundwater hydrology and allied disciplines. The awards, to be given away by the INC- IAH are no way connected with the International Association of Hydrogeologists ,HQ. The processing of the awards will be strictly adhering to this new and maiden guideline of INC-IAH.

Award Schedule

Opening date:	The specific date to be announced and ventilated through email/WhatsApp to the members for each calendar year and the same will be uploaded in INC-IAH website for wider circulation.
Closing date and time:	17:00 PM on the specific date to be announced and ventilated through email/WhatsApp to the members for each calendar year and the same will be uploaded in the INC-IAH website.
Date    of   release    of   the guidelines:	26th August, 2022
Enquiries:	In case of any query, please contact the Secretary, INC-IAH at amlanjkar@gmail.com or phone 9540686777

About the Award

The INC- IAH Award has been instituted by the Indian National Chapter (INC) of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) as an instrument for the promotion, motivation, and recognition of the excellence in the domain of the science of the groundwater and its sustainable management.

The INC-IAH award is an open competitive annual program for the members of INC- IAH. However, non-members may also be considered for the award subject to the compliance of certain conditions as enumerated below.

Award & Sponsorship

The Award shall carry a citation, plaque, and prize money. The quantum of the prize money may vary from year to year depending upon the fund available with the INC IAH and received from the sponsors. INC-IAH will make necessary endeavour to accumulate the inhouse funds through various activities, advertisements as also from the sponsorship, so that the expenses pertaining to giving away the awards can be met. However, in case of non-availability of the fund in any particular year the cash amount may not be given. For this, the INC- IAH will sincerely pursue to find out the sponsors for the award so that the awardee may be felicitated with the prize money too besides the citation and memento.

To sponsor the awards, the sponsors need to sign a MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) to fund the award in the name of INC-IAH as per the criteria explained and defined in the SOP. In case the sponsor wants to fund the awards in the name of a recognised Hydrogeologist / Water Engineer / Professional/ Hydrologist or Allied Technologist, similarly a MOA is required to be signed by the Sponsoring authority and the INC-IAH, where the President, Secretary and the Treasurer will be the signatories so that the agreed amount will be kept in any bank decided amicably by the sponsor and INC-IAH, at least for a period of five years so that the annual award can run smoothly from its interest. The INC-IAH is in search of such sponsors which will be operative in due course.

In each year there will be four awards in the individual categories. Few additional INC-IAH award may also be given away from time to time subject to the availability of INC-IAH fund. Different category of

annual INC-IAH awards and their numbers are enumerated below. It is also to mention that if suitable candidates (at least three nos.) in different category could not be found as per the selection criteria, no award will be given away for that particular / those category in that year. However, the selection procedure for the Lifetime achievement award will be different from the other awards and described subsequently. The following awards will be given away annually.

• Lifetime Achievement Award- One no
• Groundwater Excellence Award – one no.
• Young Scientist Award – one no.
• Best Paper Award – two nos. (one for male and one for female)

Lifetime Achievement Award

Lifetime Achievement Award will be given away by the INC-IAH to recognize the outstanding contribution by the Senior groundwater scientists / technologists who have made significant contributions in the field of hydrogeology/ hydrology and the allied disciplines of groundwater.

The criteria for the award are as follows

• Candidate should be a citizen of India,
• He/she should preferably be a member of IAH in the years in which the nomination is being considered for the award. However, the other eminent and reputed non-members as Hydrogeologist/Hydrologist from academia as also from groundwater professional field may also be considered.
• The nominee must be above 60 years of age as on the closing date of submission of nomination.
• This award can only be received once.
• Only the research and development work done on the Indian hydrogeology / groundwater hydrology by the eminent personalities shall be considered for the evaluation.

• Nominee must have made significant contributions to the development and management of groundwater in India.
• Nominee must have attained a consistent track record of significant and original basic and applied research contributions in the arena of groundwater and allied science and technology.
• Nominee may possess an excellent record of publications in peer reviewed journal, valued Scientific reports for the Govt., Semi Government Institutions and NGOs, edited books, and patent in his/her credit. A detailed account /list of the aforesaid contribution should be attached with year of publication, Volume no, page nos, name of the national/international journal, publishing houses etc., patents name and year and the relevant documents in testimony may be provided.
• The nomination can be submitted on the prescribed format through e-mail or any other online mechanism to be decided by the INC-IAH and it will be intimated during the announcement of the award.
• At least five nominations besides one self-nomination for an individual need to be submitted for the award.
• The norms and selection criteria of the Life time achievement award to honour the veteran workers will be different from the other category of awards.

Groundwater Excellence Award

The criteria for the Award are as follows

• Candidate should be a citizen of India,
• He/she should preferably be a member of IAH in the years in which nomination is being considered for the award. However, the non-members having excellent academic records, professional achievements and publication can also apply. Their candidature will be considered in case of non- availability of INC-IAH members as per the selection criteria. In case of publication, the publication in the journals with high impact factor and the citations will be given weightage.
• The non-member applicant would be advised to become a member of the INC-IAH and the same need to be complied with by the candidate before the announcement / publication of the award by the INC-IAH. Such candidate would be required to submit a prior undertaking to continue his/her membership for at least three years
• He/she should have acquired a post-graduate degree in Science or bachelor’s degree in engineering
• The nominee must be above 40 years in age as on the closing date of submission of nomination.
• He/she should have more than 15 years of working experience in the field of hydrogeology/ groundwater hydrology or allied science of groundwater, as on 1^st January of the award year. In case the candidate is having PhD degree then the experience should be counted excluding his/her duration spent for obtaining the doctoral degree (PhD).
• Only the contributions towards Indian hydrogeology / groundwater hydrology or allied discipline including water well drilling technology shall be considered for the evaluation.
• The applicant must possess an excellent record of publications in peer reviewed journal, valued Scientific reports for the Govt., Semi Government Institutions and NGOs, edited books, and patent in his/her credit. A detailed account /list of the aforesaid contribution should be attached with year of publication, Volume no, page nos, name of the national/international journal, publishing houses etc., patents name and year and the relevant documents in testimony of the publication, edited books and patents may be provided.
• The nomination may be made by the self or through a member of INC-IAH
• The nomination can be submitted on the prescribed format through designated e-mail or any other online mechanism to be decided by the INC-IAH and it will be intimated during the advertisement.

Young Scientist Award

The criteria for the Award are as follows

• Candidate should be a citizen of India,
• He/she should preferably be a member of IAH in the years in which nomination is being considered for the award. However, non-members having excellent records, achievements and publication can also apply. Their candidature will be considered in case of non-availability of INC-IAH members as per the selection criteria. In case of publication, the publication in journals with high impact factor and the citations will be given weightage.

• The non-member applicant would be advised to become a member of the INC-IAH and the same need to be complied with by the candidate before the announcement / publication of the award by the INC-IAH. Such candidate would be required to submit a prior undertaking to continue his/her membership for at least three years.

• He/she should have acquired a post-graduate degree in Science or bachelor’s degree in engineering
• The nominee must be 40 years or below in age as on the closing date of submission of nomination
• He/she should have more than 5 years of working experience in the field of hydrogeology/ groundwater hydrology or allied science/engineering , as on 1^st January of the award year. In case the candidate is having PhD degree then the experience should be counted excluding his/her duration spent for obtaining the doctoral degree (PhD).
• Only the contributions towards Indian hydrogeology / groundwater shall be considered for evaluation.
• The applicant may possess an excellent record of publications in peer reviewed journal, valued Scientific reports for the Govt., Semi Government Institutions and NGOs, edited books, and patent in his/her credit. A detailed account /list of the aforesaid contribution should be attached with year of publication, Volume no, page nos, name of the national/international journal, publishing houses etc., patents name and year and the relevant documents in testimony of the publication ,edited books and patents may be provided.
• The nomination may be made by self or through a member of INC-IAH
• The nomination can be submitted on the prescribed format through designated e-mail or any other online mechanism to be decided by the INC-IAH and it will be intimated during the advertisement.

Best Paper Award

The criteria for the Award are as follows

• Nominees should be a citizen of India,
• He/she should preferably be a member of IAH in the years in which nomination is being considered for the award. However, non-members having excellent records, professional achievements and publication can also apply. Their candidature will be considered in case of non-availability of INC- IAH members as per the selection criteria. In case of publication, the publication in journals with high impact factor and the citations will be given weightage.
• The non-member applicant would be advised to become a member of the INC-IAH and the same need to be complied with by the candidate before the announcement / publication of the award by the INC-IAH. Such candidate would be required to submit a prior undertaking to continue his/her membership for at least three years
• He/she should have a post-graduate degree in science or bachelor’s degree in engineering
• Only the contributions towards Indian hydrogeology / groundwater shall be considered for evaluation.
• A copy of the paper showing the date of receipt of the manuscript and its publication date online need to be provided.
• The nomination may be made by self or through a member of INC-IAH
• The nomination can be submitted on the prescribed format through designated e-mail or any other online mechanism to be decided by the INC-IAH and it will be intimated during the advertisement

Other eligibility criteria

Nomination will not be considered if:

• The nominee does not satisfy all the eligibility criteria.
• The nominee receives award from government/ scientific society for the same purpose.
• The candidate is an INC-IAH past awardee in same category of award
• The candidate is employed by a sponsoring organisation for the category of award for which he/she is applying for.
• If the candidate is an immediate family member (e.g., a sibling or parent) who is employed by a sponsoring organisation
• The candidate is an office bearer of INC-IAH except the Executive Committee members of Governing Body of INC-IAH.

The assessment criteria

Groundwater Excellence Award and Young Scientist Award

Applicant must give details of the educational qualification bachelor’s degree onwards. Their selection will be based on the following assessment criteria. The marks will be allotted as per their performance on each criterion as follows totaling a maximum of 50 marks.

• Proficiency during education and qualification – 10 marks
• Innovative scientific contribution – 10 marks
• Publication in the peer reviewed International and National Journals with high impact factor and citations, edited books and patents -10 marks
• Potential benefits to the society – 10 marks
• 360-degree feedback – 10 marks

Applicant will have to submit a write-up on his/her work limited to 250 words on the following criteria:

• Innovative scientific contribution in the field of Hydrogeology / allied disciplines of groundwater science/groundwater hydrology/ water well drilling technology
• Potential benefits to the society

Best paper award

Applicant must give details of the educational qualification bachelor’s degree onwards. Their selection will be based on the following assessment criteria. The marks will be allotted as per their performance on each criterion as follows totaling a maximum of 50 marks.

• Impact factor of the peer reviewed journal where the paper is published and citation – 10 marks
• Scientific innovation and contribution to the field of: Hydrogeology/Groundwater hydrology/ allied discipline/water well drilling technology-10 marks
• Quality of write up- 10 marks
• Societal benefit from the work – 10 marks
• 360-degree feedback- 10 marks

INC-IAH juries will choose the applicants for the award chiefly on their merit and score. In this regard if a candidate scores 40% or less in any category will be considered unsuitable for the award and will be disqualified. In such cases even non-members also will be selected for the award.

At least three valid applicants selected as per the above cited criteria should be there for further continuation of the selection process in any category of award. In the event of nonavailability of three applicants, the award for that category will not be considered for that year’s award.

The selection process will be fully transparent and the scores of the selected candidates above cut-off grade in each category will be uploaded in the INC-IAH website.

The award selection process

Two-tier selection procedure will be in place. The initial screening to shortlist the qualifying applicants will be done by a committee of experts representing diverse disciplines. From the shortlisted applicants the awardees will be chosen by a high-level expert committee chaired by an eminent Scientist / Engineer.

Assessment of applications

INC-IAH will first review applications against the eligibility criteria and only eligible applications will be screened for the next stage.

In the next stage all eligible applications will be placed before the relevant expert panel for assessment according to the category of award the candidate has been nominated.

The expert panel will consider the application exclusively on its merits, based on:

• How far it meets the assessment criteria
• How it excels over the other applications
• whether the work provides clear societal impact.

All eligible applications will be assessed against the assessment criteria and all criteria are weighted equally. Each criterion is scored out of ten marks totaling a maximum of 50 marks.

The rank of the applicants will be defined as per their total marks obtained .

Who will assess the applications?

Each expert panel, comprising experienced members from the academia, government Departments and industry , having wealth of experience , technical knowledge, awareness of current and emerging issues on groundwater and the subject matter will be the assessors. Each expert will assess the applications based upon the assessment criteria already enumerated.

In the first tier , each panelist will examine and assess the eligibility of the individual applications in view of its merit as per the assessment criteria for a preliminary score for shortlisting the candidates.

The final panel of Jury members will again re-examine the nomination of the shortlisted candidates. After this peer review, a final scoresheet will be prepared with the rank for the shortlisted candidates. In the website the score sheet of the shortlisted candidates will be uploaded. However, in the website, the scoresheet of all the other candidates also will be available to observe the transparency in the selection process.

The final expert panel will recommend their nominations to the INC-IAH for approving the award after its formal approval by the Executive committee(EC) of INC-IAH

Who is the approving authority of INC-IAH award?

The Governing body or Executive committee (EC) of INC-IAH is the final decision maker and approves the award after its recommendation by the final jury members.

• The decision of Governing body/EC of INC-IAH will be final in all the matters related to the INC- IAH award.
• Once the recommendation is made and it is approved by the EC, no further objection on the selected candidate by any member will be granted .