Gita Press, Gorakhpur to be Awarded Gandhi Peace Prize for the Year 2021

• 19 Jun 2023

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Press Information Bureau, Government of India on June 18, 2023, the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021 will be awarded to Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Key Points:

• The jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unanimously selected Gita Press, Gorakhpur for the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021.
• The award is being given to Gita Press, Gorakhpur for its outstanding contribution to bringing about social, economic & political change through non-violence and other Gandhian ideals.
• It is known that Gita Press, established in the year 1923, is one of the largest publishers in the world. It has published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore Shrimad Bhagavad Gita books.
• This institution never took advertisements for its publications for revenue generation. Gita Press along with its affiliated organizations strives for the progressive development of life and welfare of the public.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the award of The Gandhi Peace Prize to Gita Press on the completion of its 100th anniversary is a recognition of the work done by the institute in community service.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the award of the Gandhi Peace Prize to Gita Press on the completion of 100 years of its establishment is to appreciate the work done by the institution in community service.
• It is worth mentioning that the Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the Government of India. The award was instituted in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of The Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi as a tribute to his ideals.
• The award is open to all individuals without distinction of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an outstanding traditional handicraft/handloom distinguished work.
• Former awardees include organisations like ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Vivekananda Kendra (Kanyakumari), Akshaya Patra (Bengaluru), Ekal Abhiyan Trust (India) and Sulabh International (New Delhi).
• Among the distinguished personalities who received this award are the late Dr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, Dr. Julius Nyererere, former President of Tanzania, Dr. A. T. Ariaratne, Founder President of Sarvodaya Shramdaan Movement of Sri Lanka, Dr. Gerhard Fischer of the Federal Republic of Germany, Baba Amte, Dr. John Hume of Ireland, former President of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel, former President of Czechoslovakia, Dr. Nelson Mandela, former President of Tanzania, Dr. A.T. Ariaratne, founder president of Sarvodaya Shramdaan Movement of Sri Lanka, Dr. Gerhard Fischer of the Federal Republic of Germany, Baba Amte, Dr. John Hume of Ireland, former President of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel, Archbishops Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Yohei Sasakawa of Japan are among them.
• In recent years, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman in 2019 and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh in 2020 have been awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize.