Dehradun : Uttarakhand’s Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt has raised a significant demand — to award the Bharat Ratna posthumously to Gaura Devi, the leading voice of the historic Chipko movement.

आज राज्यसभा में विशेष उल्लेख के दौरान केंद्र सरकार से चिपको आंदोलन की अग्रणी स्वर और प्रेरणा रही स्वर्गीय गौरा देवी को भारत रत्न देने की मांग की। pic.twitter.com/pEIi8i1Wo9 — Mahendra Bhatt (@mahendrabhatbjp) December 2, 2025

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Bhatt recalled Gaura Devi’s sacrifice and leadership in saving the Raini forest in Chamoli district. He described her as a rural woman of the Bhotia tribe from Raini village in the Joshimath block, who became the face of India’s environmental protection movement.

Chipko movement involved women hugging trees to prevent deforestation

The Chipk

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