#### National Seminar on Environment and Sustainable Development Held on Amrita Devi Bishnoi Memorial Day

Udaipur,  To commemorate the sacrifice of Amrita Devi Bishnoi, who along with her daughters and 362 villagers laid down their lives in 1730 to protect trees, a one-day national seminar on “Environment and Sustainable Development” was organized at the IT Auditorium, Pratapnagar under the joint aegis of Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, and Rashtram Manthan.

The seminar began with floral tributes and lamp lighting before the idol of Goddess Saraswati by Chancellor Bhawarlal Gurjar, Vice Chancellor Prof. S.S. Sarangdevot, All India BMS President Hiranyamay Pandya, former MLA Dharmnarayan Joshi, Retd. Lt. General N.K. Singh, Alok Institute Director Dr. Pradeep Kumawat, Senate Member Gajendra Bhatt, and Advocate Raman Kumar Sood.

Amrita Devi Awards Presented

On this occasion, eminent environmentalists were honored with the Amrita Devi Environmental Protection Award:

Prof. M.G. Vashney (2025)

Dr. Anil Mehta (2024) – who donated his cash prize back for Vidyapeeth’s development.

Author Dr. Vijay Prakash Viplavi was also felicitated for his book on journalism and Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay.

Key Highlights of the Seminar

Hiranyamay Pandya (Chief Speaker) recalled the historic sacrifice of Amrita Devi and the Bishnoi community in Khejarli (1730). He emphasized issues of global warming, ozone depletion, and carbon credits, urging lifestyle changes to restore natural balance. He also spoke on the medicinal and environmental importance of plants in solving ecological crises.

Prof. S.S. Sarangdevot (Vice Chancellor) stressed that while development is essential, sustainable progress requires harmony between economic, social, and environmental goals. He called for collective efforts to preserve nature for future generations.

Dharmnarayan Joshi (Chief Guest, former MLA) highlighted ecological exploitation in Udaipur, particularly illegal hill cutting for hotels and resorts. He emphasized adopting Indian traditional knowledge systems for conserving forest, water, land, and wildlife, along with tackling intellectual pollution by instilling cultural values in future generations.

Chancellor Bhawarlal Gurjar paid homage to Amrita Devi and stressed the need for year-round environmental awareness campaigns at both local and global levels.

Lt. General M.K. Singh (Rashtram Manthan) addressed air pollution causes and solutions, highlighting the role of both government and citizens.

Adv. Raman Sood spoke on global warming challenges.

Dr. Pradeep Kumawat (Alok Institute) raised concerns about depleting lakes, polluted rivers, and unsafe water, noting that over 20 lakh Indians die annually due to contaminated water.

Participation and Resolutions

The event concluded with a pledge for tree plantation and stronger participation in ecological conservation. Dignitaries present included Dr. Saroj Garg, Amar Singh Sankhla, Dr. Aparna Srivastava, Purushottam Sharma, Col. Abhay Lodha, Vijay Singh Vaghela, Ramesh Singh Chauhan, Rajkumar Gaur, Hemant Garg, Bhagwati Menaria, Manisha Meghwal, Jai Singh Panwar, Gajendra Singh Ranawat, Manohar Singh Chauhan, Bhadrapal Salgia, Kapoor Chand, and Vardishankar along with several citizens and scholars.

The seminar was moderated by Advocate Raman Sood.