Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award
| Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award | |
|---|---|
 Amrita Devi Bishnoi national award for wildlife conservation being presented to a woman for her contribution to the conservation of wildlife. | |
| Awarded for | Wildlife conservation |
| Date | 11 September |
| Location | India |
| Presented by | Government of India |
| Reward(s) | ₹1,00,000 |
| First awarded | 2001 |
The Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award is a national award instituted by the government of India for wildlife conservation. The award is in the remembrance of Amrita Devi Beniwal, who was killed in the 1730 Khejarli massacre while trying to protect a grove of Khejri trees in Khejarli, Rajasthan.[1][2][3][4][5]
The governments of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh initially started the state-level Amrita Devi Bishnoi Award for contributions to the protection and conservation of wildlife. The award consisted of cash ₹25,000. Later in 2013, the Ministry of Environment and Forests instituted the Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award. The cash award consists of ₹1,00,000 given to individuals or institutions involved in wildlife protection.[1][2]
The first Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award for Wildlife Conservation was conferred on 11 September 2001, posthumously on Ganga Ram Bishnoi of Chirai village in Jodhpur, Rajasthan by the Union Environment and Forest Minister. Ganga Ram was chasing some hunter who had killed a deer and was dead shot by the hunters. September 11 is celebrated as National Forest Martyrs Day.[6][7][8][9]
The Bishnoi community was started in 1485 by Guru Jambheshwar in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. In 1730, Along with Amrita Devi more than 363 other Bishnois died saving the Khejri trees.[10] The Bishnoi community spread over the Western parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh gained recognition in India after the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It inspired the Chipko movement of Uttarakhand. The Bishnoi community took Bollywood actor Salman Khan to court for allegedly killing two blackbucks during a movie shoot near Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in 1998.[1][2][6][11][12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "The Bishnois have been at the forefront of environmental conservation for centuries". Gaonconnection | Your Connection with Rural India. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award - The Official Website of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change". The Official Website of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ Veda, A., 1998. Management of Natural Resources.
- ^ "Govt plans national awards for environment protectors". The Times of India. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Remembering Amrita's sacrifice". The Tribune.
- ^ a b "Bishnois organise and educate themselves to take environment conservation beyond religion". Mongabay-India. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ Sahapedia (10 September 2020). "When Amrita Devi and 362 Bishnois sacrificed their lives for the Khejri tree". Feminism In India. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "International Research Journal of Commerce Arts and Science" (PDF). International Research Journal of Commerce Arts and Science.
- ^ "National Forest Martyrs Day 2020: Why we observe this day on Sept 11 every year and how it started". Jagran English. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "On Environment Day, recognise Bishnois for saving trees". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "The Bishnois, India's original environmentalists, who inspired the Chipko movement". Ecologise. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "Salman Khan: How a committed and inspired Bishnoi community did Salman Khan in". The Economic Times. Retrieved 15 December 2020.