VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS AND THEIR SOCIAL IMPACTS IN INDIA: A REVIEW

The present article systematically analyzes the different environmental movements in India and looksat how these movements developed, what their prime goals were, and how they shaped the politicaland social environment towards the protection of the environment. This article investigates how“people’s movements” have defined environmentalism in India, beginning with the 1973’s ChipkoMovement, when people began to hug trees in protest against the illicit felling of forests. Also, otherimportant movements include the Narmada Bachao Andolan which fought against the construction oflarge dam projects, and the Silent Valley Movement, stopping the hydroelectric project forconservation purposes. This article also discusses the more recent Anti-Posco Movement and the SaveAravali Movement and the out-group resource conflicts promotion through economic globalizationincluding industrialization and urbanization. In examining the socio-political and ecological contextsof these movements, the review emphasizes the complex relationships between environmentalmovements, governance structures, and local people’s involvement in conservation in the Indiancontext. The last section evaluates the present status of environmental movements and draws attentionto the gaps in policy integration and public participation to avert future environmental catastrophes.