Find out the names of five environmental movements in India. Research about them. Find out where the movement happened, what the movement was about, who participated in the movement and what steps were taken to resolve the problem.
Answers
Answer:-
1.Bishnoi Movement
Year: 1700s
Place: Khejarli, Marwar region, Rajasthan state.
Leaders: Amrita Devi along with Bishnoi villagers in Khejarli and surrounding villages.
Aim: Save sacred trees from being cut down by the king’s soldiers for a new palace.
What was it all about: Amrita Devi, a female villager could not bear to witness the destruction of both her faith and the village’s sacred trees. She hugged the trees and encouraged others to do the same. 363 Bishnoi villagers were killed in this movement.
The Bishnoi tree martyrs were influenced by the teachings of Guru Maharaj Jambaji, who founded the Bishnoi faith in 1485 and set forth principles forbidding harm to trees and animals. The king who came to know about these events rushed to the village and apologized, ordering the soldiers to cease logging operations. Soon afterwards, the maharajah designated the Bishnoi state as a protected area, forbidding harm to trees and animals. This legislation still exists today in the region.
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2. Chipko Movement
Year: 1973
Place: In Chamoli district and later at Tehri-Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.
Leaders: Sundarlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Govind Singh Rawat, Dhoom Singh Negi, Shamsher Singh Bisht and Ghanasyam Raturi.
Aim: The main objective was to protect the trees on the Himalayan slopes from the axes of contractors of the forest.
What was it all about: Mr. Bahuguna enlightened the villagers by conveying the importance of trees in the environment which checks the erosion of soil, cause rains and provides pure air. The women of Advani village of Tehri-Garhwal tied the sacred thread around trunks of trees and they hugged the trees, hence it was called the ‘Chipko Movement’ or ‘hug the tree movement’.
The main demand of the people in these protests was that the benefits of the forests (especially the right to fodder) should go to local people. The Chipko movement gathered momentum in 1978 when the women faced police firings and other tortures.
The then state Chief Minister, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna set up a committee to look into the matter, which eventually ruled in favour of the villagers. This became a turning point in the history of eco-development struggles in the region and around the world.