The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, is awarded annually by the Government of India.

Gandhi Peace Prize
Awarded forContributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods
Sponsored byGovernment of India
Presented byGovernment of India Edit this on Wikidata
Reward(s) 1 Crore (10 million)
First awarded1995
Last awarded2023
Highlights
Total awarded20
Latest winnerGita Press

As a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi, the Government of India launched the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi. This is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. The award carries 1 crore (equivalent to 1.2 crore or US$140,000 in 2023) in cash, convertible in any currency in the world, a plaque and a citation. It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, creed or gender.

A jury consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and two other eminent person appointed every 3years eligible for reappointment decides the awardee each year.

Ordinarily, only proposals coming from competent persons invited to nominate are considered. However, a proposal is not taken as invalid for consideration by the jury merely on the ground of not having emanated from competent persons. If it is considered that none of the proposals merit recognition, the jury is free to withhold the award for that year; the award was withheld in the years from 2006 to 2012 inclusive. Only achievements within 10 years immediately preceding the nomination are considered for the award; an older work may, however, be considered if its significance has not become apparent until recently. A written work, to be eligible for consideration, should have been published.[1]

Recipients

edit
Indicates a joint award for that year
Sl no Year Recipient Image Birth / death Country Description
1 1995 Julius Nyerere[2]   1922–1999   Tanzania Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the leader of Tanzania, and previously Tanganyika, from 1960 until his retirement in 1985.
2 1996 A. T. Ariyaratne[2]   b. 1931   Sri Lanka Founder of Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement
3 1997 Gerhard Fischer[3][4] 1921–2006   Germany German diplomat, recognised for his work against leprosy and polio
4 1998 Ramakrishna Mission[2]   est. 1897   India Founded by Swami Vivekananda for promoting social welfare, tolerance, and non-violence among disadvantaged groups
5 1999 Baba Amte[5][2]   1914–2008   India Social worker, known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy
6 2000 Nelson Mandela[2]   1918–2013   South Africa Former President of South Africa[2]
Grameen Bank   est. 1983   Bangladesh Founded by Muhammad Yunus
7 2001 John Hume[1][2]   1937–2020   Ireland Northern Irish Politician and major figure in the Northern Ireland peace process
8 2002 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan[2] est. 1938   India Educational trust that emphasises Indian culture
9 2003 Václav Havel[6][7]   1936–2011   Czech Republic Last President of Czechoslovakia and first President of the Czech Republic
10 2004 Coretta Scott King[2]   1927–2006   United States Activist and civil rights leader.
11 2005 Desmond Tutu[8]   1931–2021   South Africa South African cleric and activist.He was South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid.
12 2013 Chandi Prasad Bhatt[9][10]   b. 1934   India Environmentalist, social activist and pioneer of the Chipko movement. Founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS)
13 2014 ISRO[11]   est. 1969   India Space agency of the Indian Govt. Objective is to advance space technology and deliver the applications of it
14 2015 Vivekananda Kendra[12] est. 1972   India A Hindu spiritual organisation based on the principles preached by Swami Vivekananda
15 2016 Akshaya Patra Foundation est.2000   India A non-profit organisation in India that runs school lunch programme across India
Sulabh International est. 1970   India A social service organization that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education.
16 2017 Ekal Abhiyan Trust est. 1986   India Contribution in providing Education for Rural and Tribal Children in remote areas pan India, Rural Empowerment, Gender and Social Equality.
17 2018 Yōhei Sasakawa   b. 1939   Japan For his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world.[13]
18 2019 Qaboos bin Said Al Said   1940–2020   Oman For contributions for social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.[14]
19 2020 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman   1920–1975   Bangladesh For his contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.[15]
20 2021 Gita Press est. 1923   India For outstanding contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.[16]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Press Information Bureau Website Retrieved 4 November 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "International Gandhi Peace Prize". Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  3. ^ "President Confers Gandhi Peace Prize 1997 on Dr.Gerhard Fischer of Germany". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 5 January 1998. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  4. ^ Radhakrishnan, R.K. (5 July 2006). "Gerhard Fischer passes away". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  5. ^ Narmada.org Archived 11 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 4 November 2006.
  6. ^ "PIB Press Release – President to confer the Gandhi Peace Prize to Mr. Vaclav Havel". pib.mic.in. Government of India Press Information Bureau. 2 January 2004. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  7. ^ "PIB Press Release – Gandhi Peace Prize conferred on Mr. Vaclav Havel". pib.mic.in. Government of India Press Information Bureau. 5 January 2004. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  8. ^ Tutu to be honoured with Gandhi Peace Award Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  9. ^ Joshua, Anita (1 March 2014). "Gandhi Peace Prize for Chipko pioneer, founded Dasholi Swarajya Gram Sangh". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  10. ^ Singh, Kautilya (1 March 2014). "Gandhi Peace Prize for Chandi Prasad Bhatt". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  11. ^ "ISRO gets Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  12. ^ "Centre Announces Winners Of Gandhi Peace Prize For 2015-2018". NDTV. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  13. ^ "Japan's Sasakawa Yōhei Wins International Gandhi Peace Prize for Hansen's Disease Work". Nippon.com. 25 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Gandhi Peace Prize for the Year 2019 announced". PIB. 22 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Gandhi Peace Prize for the Year 2020 announced". PIB. 22 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 to be conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 18 June 2023.