Gandhi Peace Prize

For the award presented by the US peace education organisation Promoting Enduring Peace, see Gandhi Peace Award. For the award presented by the London-based Gandhi Foundation, see Gandhi International Peace Award.

Gandhi Peace Prize
Awarded for	Contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods
Sponsored by	Government of India
Presented by	Government of India
Reward(s)	₹ 1 Crore (10 million)
First award	1995
Final award	2023
Highlights
Total awarded	20
Latest winner	Gita Press

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

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 croreorUS$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 three years 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

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]		1931–2024	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]		(founded 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		(founded 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]		(founded 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]		(born 1934)	India	Environmentalist, social activist and pioneer of the Chipko movement. Founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS)
13	2014	ISRO [11]		(founded 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]		(founded 1972)	India	A Hindu spiritual organisation based on the principles preached by Swami Vivekananda
15	2016	Akshaya Patra Foundation		(founded 2000)	India	A non-profit organisation in India that runs school lunch programme across India
		Sulabh International		(founded 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 Vidyalaya		(founded 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		(born 1939)	Japan	For his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world. [13]
18	2019	Qaboos bin 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		(founded 1923)	India	For outstanding contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods. [16]

See also

• Gandhi Memorial International Foundation
• Gandhi Peace Award
• Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
• List of peace activists
• Nobel Peace Prize
• Sakharov Prize

References

1. Press Information Bureau Website Retrieved 4 November 2006.
2. "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.