On 18 March 2026, Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), was named the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate at a ceremony held at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Headquarters in Paris, France during the 2026 World Water Day(March 22) event.
- At 44, Kaveh Madani became the youngest recipient in the prize’s 35-year history, and the first UN official as well as the first former politician to receive the award.
About Kaveh Madani:
Profile: An Iranian scientist, Kaveh Madani currently serves as Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).
Recognition: He was honoured for his contributions to water governance and crisis management, which shifted the global focus from infrastructure-based solutions to governance-driven approaches and highlighted that weak governance is a key cause of water crises.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran Conferred Honorary Knighthood by UK
In March 2026, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, was conferred the Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) by the United Kingdom (UK) government for his contribution to strengthening India–UK business relations.
- The honour was presented by Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, at the British High Commissioner’s residence in New Delhi(Delhi), on behalf of King Charles III.
About the KBE(Civil Division) Honour:
Overview: The KBE (Civil Division) is an honorary knighthood awarded to foreign nationals for pre‑eminent service in business, public life, culture, and international relations.
Title Rule: UK nationals awarded knighthood use the title ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’, while non-UK recipients add ‘KBE’ as a suffix to their name.
Previous Indian Recipients of KBE: Jamshed Irani (1997), Ravi Shankar (2001), Ratan Tata (2009, later elevated to GBE in 2014), Lakshmi Niwas Mittal (2015), and Sunil Bharti Mittal (2025).
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