The Centre on Wednesday announced the winners of the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The awards have been conferred for the first time since 2014, when it was given to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015 has been given to the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari for its contribution to rural development, education and the development of natural resources.
The award for 2016 has been jointly given to Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh International. The statement on the awards said the award had been given to Akshaya Patra Foundation in recognition of its work in providing mid-day meals to millions of children across India. Sulabh International was named for the award for its contribution in improving sanitation in India and emancipation of manual scavengers.
The 2017 Gandhi Peace Prize was conferred on the Ekal Abhiyan Trust for its work in education of rural and tribal children in remote areas across India, rural empowerment, and promoting gender and social equality.
The 2018 award has been given to the Japanese Yohei Sasakawa, the WHO Global Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, for his contribution to the eradication of the disease in India and across the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his congratulations to the awardees.
The last three foreigners to be awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize were South African cleric Desmond Tutu (2005), American civil rights activist Coretta Scott King (2004) and former Czech President Vaclav Havel (2003). The award was not conferred from 2006 to 2012.
The recipients of the award were unanimously chosen by a jury consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and senior BJP leader LK Advani.
The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Centre in 1995 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It carries a cash prize of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and a traditional handicraft or handloom item.
