The Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award is a

national award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...

instituted by the

government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

for

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

. The award is in the remembrance of Amrita Devi Bishnoi, who was killed in the 1730

Khejarli massacre The Khejarli massacre occurred in September 1730 in Northern India, when 363 Bishnois were killed while trying to peacefully protect a grove of Khejri trees. The soldiers were sent by the Maharaja of Marwar, Abhai Singh to cut the trees in the ...

while trying to protect a grove of

Khejri ''Prosopis cineraria'', also known as ghaf, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is native to arid portions of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, India, Oman, Pakistan, Sau ...

trees in

Khejarli Khejarli or Khejadli is a village in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, India, south-east of the city of Jodhpur. The name of the town is derived from the khejri (''Prosopis cineraria)'' trees that were once abundant in the village. In this villag ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

. The governments of

and

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

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 The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of ...

instituted the Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award. The cash award consists of ₹1,00,000 given to individuals or institutions involved in wildlife protection. 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 Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...

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. The Bishnoi community was started in 1485 by

Guru Jambheshwar Guru Jambheshwar, also known as Guru Jambhaji, (1451–1536) was the founder of the Bishnoi Panth. He taught that God is a divine power that is everywhere. He also taught to protect plants and animals as they are important in order to peacefully ...

in the

Thar Desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's Li ...

. In 1730, Along with Amrita Devi Bishnoi more than 363 other Bishnois died saving the Khejri trees. 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 The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established scheduled pr ...

. It inspired the

Chipko movement The Chipko movement ( hi, chipko andolan, italic=yes, lit= reehugging movement) is a forest conservation movement in India. The movement originated in 1973 at the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh) and went on to beco ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

. The Bishnoi community took Bollywood actor

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

to court for allegedly killing two blackbucks during a movie shoot near

, in 1998.

References

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External links

The Legend of Amrita Devi Mobile
Environmental awards