What Happens When the Deserts of Rajasthan Are Taken to Build Solar Power Plants?

Jaipur: Anger has been brewing among the residents of Barmer and Jaisalmer districts in Rajasthan lately as public land, which was designated for oran (a sacred forest) and grazing, is now being allocated to private solar energy companies.

 The livelihoods and livestock in this region rely heavily on these lands but in recent years, the Rajasthan government has transferred a significant chunk of land to private companies, resulting in a shortage of fodder for animals and causing numerous difficulties for the local population.

In addition, the locals are also facing some serious administrative and policy problems.

Unaccounted land allocation

The primary issue is the allocation of land. Based on the documents submitted to the assembly, over the past few years, 157,343 bigha of land (approximately 97,526.5 acres) have been allocated to different companies for solar power plants across Rajasthan.

From 2018 to 2023, a total of 70,500 bigha of land was allocated to various companies in Jaisalmer, of which 42,500 bigha was designated for Adani Renewable Energy Park Ltd. 

In addition, during the cabinet meeting on March 8, 2024, it was announced that approximately 8,500 bigha would be allocated for various solar projects in Bikaner. 

Subsequently, on June 16, 2024, around 56,000 bigha was designated for three solar plants with a capacity of 2450 MW each in Bikaner, as well as for 500 MW solar plants in the Phalodi district. 

Besides Adani, this land has also been allocated to companies such as Larsen & Toubro, Essel Solar Energy, SBE Renewable Energy and Wonder Cement.

The Rajasthan government has signed MoUs worth Rs 13.12 lakh crore in the renewable energy sector between 2015 and 2024.

According to government documents and media reports shared during the question hour in Rajasthan assembly, the BJP government has allocated 32,000 hectares of land to companies for renewable energy projects totalling 19,931 MW over its tenure of approximately one and a quarter years. 

This figure is three times greater than the projects sanctioned by the previous Congress government.

According to sources, a total of 2.25 lakh hectares of land is required for the 40 projects that are presently in progress. The table below illustrates the status of the approved projects and the land allocated to companies under the current administration.

Photo: The Wire Hindi

Attempts to acquire land of Scheduled Castes/Tribes

The government’s race to acquire land has resulted in a deep crisis for marginalised communities in these areas. The Tenancy Act of 1955 in Rajasthan prohibits the sale, gifting or transfer of agricultural land belonging to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe individuals to non-SC/ST persons or organisations without the approval of the state government or a designated authority. However, the process to amend this legislation is currently underway.

During the cabinet meeting held on November 30, 2024, it was announced that if solar energy companies seek to acquire land belonging to the SC/ST community, the existing legal obstacles could be eliminated. 

Villagers are saying that preparations are being made to hand over land belonging to Dalits to private companies. Photo: Special arrangement/The Wire Hindi

Last December, Rajasthan's law minister Jogaram Patel said that under Section 42B of the Tenancy Act, farmers from SC/ST communities are prohibited from leasing their agricultural land to developers of renewable energy projects. Consequently, the cabinet sanctioned an amendment to the Rajasthan Land Revenue (Conversion of Agricultural Land for Non-Agricultural Purposes in Rural Areas) Rules, 2007.

Residents have expressed concerns that efforts are being made to transfer Dalit land to private enterprises.

Moreover, it was stated that following this amendment, the agricultural land owned by SC-ST farmers could be transformed into solar farms, solar plants, solar power facilities, wind farms and wind power plants. 

Dalit writer and activist Bhanwar Meghvanshi says, “This alteration is being implemented for the benefit of private companies, yet it is being portrayed as advantageous for Dalit farmers. If Dalit farmers lose their land, they will be left with neither land nor financial resources.”

Is this allotment legal?

The public lands comprising pastures and forests in Barmer-Jaisalmer have not been accurately documented in the revenue records. No individual has ever asserted personal rights over these lands. The local populace's cattle have grazed on this territory, and provisions have been made for their fodder. These regions have consistently served as vital resources for the local communities.

Due to the absence of government documentation regarding these lands, officials including the patwari (village administrative officer), naib tehsildar (assistant to the revenue officer) and sub-divisional magistrate are exploiting legal complications to transfer these lands to corporations by asserting their non-existence in government records. Protests against this practice have erupted in various areas.

Farmers in Baiya, Barmer, have been protesting for several months, while residents in villages like Nechsi, Cheeta, Jerab and Binjota have also been demonstrating against the allocation. 

Activist Bhoopsingh says, “There is a huge pond in Nepsi village that attracts the highest number of migratory birds, which are counted annually. However, this area is also being allocated to [private] companies for solar [projects].”

In an investigation conducted last year, numerous government officials in the Chhatargarh region of Bikaner were found guilty of being involved in the allocation of public land to private companies.

Brajmohan Kumawat, an attorney from Shiv tehsil in Barmer, says, “Countless farmers are facing difficulties here. If you approach the patwari, he directs you to the girdawar (supervisor), who in turn mentions the naib tehsildar. The naib tehsildar advises you to see the tehsildar (revenue officer), who shifts the responsibility to the SDO. The SDO claims it is a matter for the police. When you go to the police, they refer you to the court. The court asserts that revenue issues will be resolved by the revenue authorities.”

Tulsidevi, the spouse of Sawairam Kumhar from Sonadi village, possesses a farm located on Khasra No. 8, in Lalso ki Dhani, Gunga village, near Barmer. A service line has been installed across her 18 bigha land, with poles erected, causing distress to the landowner.

“We have a locally popular method of measurement, but the people of the companies bring private GPS systems for measurement and without the help of a patwari, naib tehsildar or SDO, they fence the fields anywhere,” says advocate Kumawat.

Recently, high tension line poles were installed on a field possessed by Bhuvnesh Jain, a long-time environmental activist in this region, without any prior notification.

Advocate Kumawat stated that numerous similar complaints are currently being processed in courts and police stations.

While Ganganagar district used to be notorious for corruption, police sources say now Barmer has taken its place. Photo: Rajasthan Government

Corporates vs landless villagers

On one hand, the government is prepared to allocate land to private enterprises, while the landless individuals continue to await their share of land.

During the last assembly session, in response to a question from Ruparam, former MLA of Jaisalmer, then-minister of minority affairs, waqf colonisation department, Shale Mohammad had stated that 99,763 landless individuals had applied for land. 

However, 96,182 of these applications remain pending in files. 

Ruparam had said, “The eligibility of these landless individuals has not been determined by the officials and governments over the past two decades, whereas companies receive land in less than 20 days.”

The desert deprived of electricity produced there

Another issue is that Rajasthan is receiving a minimal amount of electricity from these solar initiatives. The state's renewable energy corporation has yet to finalize any agreements with these companies for electricity supply. To date, 74% of the inexpensive electricity generated from all established projects is being distributed to other states. 

Bhadres farmer Ravindra Singh Charan says, “The power plants constructed on our grazing lands do not provide us with even a single unit of electricity.” 

The farmers are insisting that the electricity generated from the plants erected on their land should be supplied to them.

However, state energy minister Hiralal Nagar told The Wire Hindi, “The situation is determined by the power purchase agreements of the companies. If a company has a contract to supply electricity to another state, that electricity is allocated solely to that state. This is in accordance with the energy policy.”

Rajasthan experiences 22% solar radiation, a significantly high figure when compared to other states in the country. Despite this advantage, the state struggles to produce its own electricity.

According to the document submitted in the state assembly on March 10, 2025, the total power generation capacity in the state stands at 14,108 MW. This includes 997 MW from solar energy and 1,148 MW from wind generation. Of the total power output, 5,138 MW is generated by the private or other sectors, while government energy production accounts for 9,508 MW. 

According to official government statistics, the state receives almost no electricity from the private sector.

Advent of corruption: Beginning of social disintegration

In Rajasthan, until now, securing a position in Jaisalmer and Barmer was likened to being sentenced to Kaala Paani. However, following the establishment of solar and wind energy companies in these regions, there has been a notable increase in government employees seeking appointments here. Consequently, a multitude of legal advisors and brokers involved in land registration has emerged in Barmer.

The Director General of Police for the Anti-Corruption Branch, Ravi Prakash Mehrada, informed The Wire, “The Rajasthan ACB apprehended Ashish Ranjan Vishwas, an assistant administrative officer from Dudhwa in Balotra, during Holi while he was collecting a one percent fee from stamp vendors, deed writers, and registration brokers. A total of Rs 2,29,000 was also seized from him.”

Additionally, the Rajasthan ACB operates its own intelligence branch, which continuously gathers information regarding corrupt officials from all districts within the state. Sources from this branch indicate that Ganganagar district was once at the forefront. However, Barmer has now assumed that position.

Numerous individuals possessing knowledge regarding the transfers of administrative officials within the state government indicate that there is now a greater interest in Barmer, as opposed to Ganganagar, which was previously regarded as a challenging environment for employees and officials.

Corruption is also prevalent in this region. On February 17, 2025, Jaisalmer's Bhaniyana Tehsildar, Sumitra Chaudhary, was apprehended while accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh during a land sale.

Previously, on February 5, Kishanaram, a patwari from the Sindhari tehsil in Balotra district, was caught taking a bribe of Rs 30,000 for the commercialisation of agricultural land. Additionally, Kabiraram, an engineer with Jodhpur Discom in Jaisalmer, was arrested while accepting Rs 30,000 from a farmer in Jaisalmer. 

The emergence of private companies is transforming the traditions and customs of western Rajasthan. In these regions, gold jewellery was traditionally left outside, while water wells were secured. Currently, individuals are engaging in minor bribery and crafting new narratives of corruption.

Regarding solar companies in Jaisalmer, the former SDM of Pokaran, Prabhjot Singh Gill, has accused district collector Pratap Singh Nathawat of exerting pressure on him to support a company's installation of solar towers in the Sakra area. This controversy escalated to the extent that the Rajasthan Administrative Officers Association sent a letter to the chief minister, asserting that the collector was unjustly pressuring Gill. 

Subsequently, Gill was transferred. This incident has raised significant concerns regarding administrative neutrality and corporate influence.

In a similar vein, Anil Kumar Jain, the SDM of Barmer district, has been accused of selling 2,350 bigha of land under the guise of his family to various companies, disregarding the ceiling law. Anil Jain refutes these claims. 

This issue has not only been brought up in the Rajasthan Assembly but has also been highlighted by Barmer MP Ummedram in the Lok Sabha.

Consequently, this region of Rajasthan is progressing towards a significant socio-cultural crisis.

Tribhuvan is a senior journalist.

This is the first part of a special investigation series.

Translated from the original article on The Wire Hindi by Naushin Rehman.

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