🗞️ Why in News Farmer Kishna Ram Godara of Naukha Daiya village, Bikaner, completed 568 days of protest (as of February 15, 2026) against the felling of khejri trees for solar plants. The Bishnoi community launched the Khejri Bachao Mahapadav on February 2, 2026, forcing Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to announce a dedicated khejri protection law in the state assembly on February 5. The conflict epitomises the “green vs green” dilemma — renewable energy expansion destroying the very ecological systems that sustain arid landscapes.

The Ground Reality — Bikaner

Kishna Ram Godara’s Protest
  • Naukha Daiya village, Bikaner district — within the village lies Khejarla Rohi, a plot spanning 3,000 bigha (809 hectares) with some 15,000 khejri trees
  • In July 2024, ACME Solar began setting up a 300 MW solar plant — occupied 2,300 bigha, with another 500 bigha proposed
  • Hundreds of khejri trees were felled overnight
  • Godara (who has 200 khejri trees on 38 bigha of his farm) began a sit-in on July 18, 2024, with three demands:
    1. Complete ban on khejri tree felling
    2. Enforcement of the state tree protection law
    3. Norms for solar plant installation without tree felling
  • The company allegedly tried persuasion, threats, and filed lawsuits — Godara did not compromise
Bishnoi Community Mobilisation
  • July 2025: Bishnoi community members launched an indefinite sit-in at the Bikaner collectorate
  • Result: remaining khejri trees in Naukha Daiya were saved; ACME Solar directed to complete the project without further felling
  • Bhanipura village: Farmers estimate 10,000 khejri trees cut since 2024 for a solar plant — residents staged a 4-month sit-in
Khejri Bachao Mahapadav (February 2026)
  • Launched February 2, Bikaner — hundreds of people on hunger strike
  • Supported by former Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje and Ashok Gehlot
  • Community leaders had met CM Bhajan Lal Sharma with a draft khejri protection law
  • Protests held across 8 districts of Rajasthan
  • February 5: CM announced in the state assembly that a khejri protection law would be enacted
  • February 12: Revenue Department issued notice to all collectors stating the law is proposed to be implemented soon, directing “effective action” to prevent illegal felling
  • Mahapadav called off — but Naukha Daiya and collectorate sit-ins continue

The State’s Solar Push

  • Rajasthan Budget 2026-27 (announced February 11 by Deputy CM and Finance Minister Diya Kumari):
    • ₹2,900 crore allocated for solar projects in Bikaner and Jaisalmer
    • Solar parks with capacity of ~4,830 MW planned through joint ventures in:
      • Mehrasar-Dinsar-Barala and Sawaisar-Karanisar Bhatian-Bikoloi areas (Bikaner)
      • Raghwa-Sehua area (Jaisalmer)
  • DTE visited 7 villages in Bikaner — all had already lost hundreds of khejri trees

Why Khejri Is More Than a Tree

Ecological Value
  • Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) — state tree of Rajasthan
  • Slow-growing, highly drought-resistant — roots grow up to 90 metres below ground, accessing deep groundwater
  • Vital for agroforestry in the Thar Desert — provides shade, fixes nitrogen, prevents desertification
  • A single tree yields ₹50,000–60,000 in a season from vegetables and gum
  • Nutritious pods used and sold as livestock fodder
  • Bark extract used traditionally to treat scorpion bites, pneumonia, and aid during pregnancy and childbirth (Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 2005 study)
Cultural and Historical Significance
  • Sacred to the Bishnoi community — rooted in the Khejarli massacre of 1730, when 363 Bishnoi people sacrificed their lives to protect khejri trees from being felled on orders of the Maharaja of Jodhpur
  • One of the earliest recorded environmental movements in world history
  • Part of religious rituals across Rajasthan communities

Impact on Communities — Loss and Regret

The Land Deals
  • Solar companies lease land from farmers for 30 years at ₹15,625 per bigha per year, or buy outright at ₹1.5–2 lakh per bigha
  • Most farmers who took deals express regret
Case Studies from DTE’s Visit
  • Hanuman Ram (Lakhusar village): “We leased land three years ago on the condition that trees would not be cut. The company assured us, but just a year later, 100 khejri trees were cut from our farm.”
  • Kaluram (Kalasar village): Sold 100 bigha in 2024 — all 100 khejri trees felled. “I got ₹50 lakh, but it was spent on illnesses, debt, and weddings. Now I only have my house left.”
    • All khejri trees in Kalasar village were felled → temperature increase directly linked → fears the village may have to migrate
    • Deer, peacocks, and nilgai — common in 2022–23 — nearly disappeared
  • Harish Chaudhary (Kalasar): Solar plant still under construction, but employment has already decreased; livestock halved in 2–3 years

Scientific Evidence of Ecological Damage

Chhangani Study (2025)
  • Prof. Anil Kumar Chhangani, Department of Environment, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner
  • Found: Large solar plants across Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Barmer have led to felling of 2.5 million trees of at least 5 species, including khejri
  • Result: Temperature increase of 3–5°C within a 1 km radius from the centre of a solar plant
Water Crisis
  • Solar plants require millions of litres of water — already scarce in the Thar
  • Satellite imagery of Khari Charnan area (Bikaner): between 2014 and 2022, waterbodies decreased from ~100 to just a few
  • Most plants are in the command area of the Indira Gandhi Canal — government has invested heavily in this canal to supply water to farms and households
  • In many areas, canal infrastructure has been destroyed by solar installations
  • Drawing water from traditional sources impacts water availability for farms, communities, and ecosystems
Long-Term Land Degradation
  • Most plants are on farmland where farmers grow one crop annually on rain-fed or canal-irrigated land
  • Once vegetation is removed, the land will turn barren — desertification in reverse of what the Indira Gandhi Canal was meant to prevent

The Legal Gap

  • No dedicated khejri protection law exists (as of February 2026 — CM has announced one will be enacted)
  • Under the Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 — fine for illegal felling was ₹100 per tree (equivalent to the value of 1.25 tola / 14.6 grams of gold at the time)
  • Gold prices have risen dramatically, but the fine remained the same for decades
  • In December 2025, fine was revised to a blanket ₹1,000 — still grossly inadequate
  • Based on current gold price of 1.25 tola, the fine should be approximately ₹2 lakh per tree
  • Solar plants are exempt from Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) — classified as “green projects”
  • This EIA exemption means large solar installations can destroy biodiversity without mandatory environmental scrutiny

Solutions Proposed

Prof. Chhangani’s Recommendations
  1. Mandate EIA for solar plants — remove the blanket exemption for “green projects”
  2. Canal-top solar: Install panels over the Indira Gandhi Canal — prevents water evaporation and panel-washing water flows back into the canal (dual benefit)
  3. Highway solar: Generate solar energy along highways and expressways rather than on ecologically valuable land
  4. Rooftop and degraded land prioritisation — avoid farmland and forested areas

Critical Evaluation for UPSC Mains

The “Green vs Green” Dilemma
  • India needs 500 GW of clean energy by 2030 — Rajasthan’s solar radiation makes it a prime location
  • But “green” energy is not green if it destroys ecosystems — felling 2.5 million trees and depleting scarce water in an arid zone undermines the very environmental goals solar power serves
  • The conflict mirrors global debates: EU’s Renewable Energy Directive vs biodiversity protection; Chile’s Atacama solar vs indigenous water rights
  • India needs a framework that integrates renewable energy targets with ecological limits — not blanket exemptions
Governance and Institutional Failures
  • EIA exemption for solar is a policy design flaw — it assumes solar = automatically environmental-friendly, ignoring land-use impacts
  • Rajasthan Tenancy Act fine of ₹100–1,000 per tree vs tree’s economic value of ₹50,000–60,000 — zero deterrent
  • Lack of a dedicated khejri protection law despite the tree being the state emblem and culturally sacred
  • Corporate accountability gap: Companies promise no tree felling in land lease agreements, then break promises with impunity
  • Indira Gandhi Canal infrastructure destruction — a public asset undermined by private solar installations
Historical Parallels
  • Chipko Movement (1973): Himalayan women hugged trees to prevent logging — led to forest conservation policies
  • Khejarli Massacre (1730): 363 Bishnois killed protecting khejri trees — arguably the world’s first environmental martyrdom
  • Appiko Movement (1983): Karnataka’s version of Chipko in the Western Ghats
  • Kishna Ram Godara’s 568-day protest and the Khejri Bachao Mahapadav are the modern continuation of this tradition

UPSC Angle

  • Prelims: Khejri (Prosopis cineraria), state tree of Rajasthan, Khejarli massacre (1730), Bishnoi community, Indira Gandhi Canal, ACME Solar, EIA exemption for solar, canal-top solar
  • Mains GS-1: History — Khejarli massacre as an early environmental movement; Society — Bishnoi community’s ecological ethos; Geography — Thar Desert ecology, Indira Gandhi Canal command area
  • Mains GS-2: Governance — legal gaps in tree protection, adequacy of fines, corporate accountability in land deals, community protests as democratic participation
  • Mains GS-3: Environment — green vs green conflict, EIA exemptions, renewable energy vs biodiversity, desertification, water scarcity, agroforestry in arid zones, canal-top solar as a solution
  • Essay: “The greenest energy is not always the one that keeps the forests standing — but it should be”

📌 Facts Corner — Knowledgepedia

Kishna Ram Godara’s Protest:

  • Village: Naukha Daiya, Bikaner, Rajasthan
  • Protest began: July 18, 2024 (568 days as of Feb 15, 2026)
  • Khejarla Rohi: 3,000 bigha (809 ha), ~15,000 khejri trees
  • ACME Solar: 300 MW plant; occupied 2,300 bigha

Khejri Tree (Prosopis cineraria):

  • State tree of Rajasthan
  • Roots: up to 90 metres deep
  • Revenue per tree: ₹50,000–60,000/season (vegetables + gum)
  • Medicinal uses: scorpion bites, pneumonia (CAZRI, 2005)
  • Sacred to Bishnoi community

Khejarli Massacre (1730):

  • 363 Bishnoi people killed protecting khejri trees
  • Location: Khejarli village, near Jodhpur
  • Ordered by: Maharaja Abhay Singh of Jodhpur
  • Led by: Amrita Devi Bishnoi
  • One of the earliest environmental movements in recorded history

Rajasthan Solar Expansion:

  • Budget 2026-27: ₹2,900 crore for solar in Bikaner and Jaisalmer
  • Planned capacity: ~4,830 MW in 3 areas
  • Land lease rate: ₹15,625/bigha/year (30-year lease)
  • Land purchase rate: ₹1.5–2 lakh/bigha

Ecological Damage (Chhangani Study, 2025):

  • 2.5 million trees felled across 4 Thar districts for solar plants
  • Temperature increase: 3–5°C within 1 km radius of plants
  • Waterbodies in Khari Charnan: ~100 (2014) → few (2022)
  • Wildlife loss: deer, peacocks, nilgai nearly disappeared from affected villages

Legal Framework:

  • Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955: original fine ₹100/tree (value of 1.25 tola gold)
  • December 2025 revision: ₹1,000/tree (still inadequate)
  • Fair fine based on current gold price: ~₹2 lakh/tree
  • Solar plants: exempt from EIA (classified as “green projects”)
  • CM announced khejri protection law: February 5, 2026

Khejri Bachao Mahapadav:

  • Launched: February 2, 2026, Bikaner
  • Supporters: former CMs Vasundhara Raje, Ashok Gehlot
  • Protests across 8 districts
  • Called off: February 12, after CM’s assurance + Revenue Dept notice

Other Relevant Facts:

  • Indira Gandhi Canal: major irrigation project in Thar; canal-top solar proposed as alternative
  • Chipko Movement: 1973, Uttarakhand (then UP) — Gaura Devi, Sunderlal Bahuguna
  • Appiko Movement: 1983, Karnataka — Pandurang Hegde
  • Bishnoi community: follows 29 tenets laid by Guru Jambheshwar (1485)
  • CAZRI: Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur (under ICAR)
  • Prosopis juliflora (vilayati babool) — invasive species often confused with native Prosopis cineraria (khejri)

Sources: Down to Earth, Maharaja Ganga Singh University (Bikaner), Central Arid Zone Research Institute (Jodhpur)