Though she is a past employee of Tata Empire, Patkar also played a pivotal role in driving out the Tata Nano plant from Singur, West Bengal, ostensibly due to insufficient benefits to locals and use of fertile land for industry.
Narmada Bachao Andolan, with its leading spokespersons Medha Patkar and Baba Amte, received the Right Livelihood Award in 1991.