Gandhi Peace Prize – UPSC Prelims

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Gandhi Peace Prize:
  • Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award.
  • It was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 during the commemoration of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
  • Purpose: The award is given to those involved in social, economic, and political transformation through non-violence.
  • Eligibility:
    • The prize can be given to individuals, associations, institutions, or organizations.
    • It can also be divided between two persons/institutions. If the Jury considered them as equally deserving for recognition in a given year.
    • It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, creed, race, or sex.
  • Rewards: The award carries an amount of Rs.1 crore, a citation in a scroll, a plaque. Further, It also consists of an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.
  • Selection Committee: The jury is chaired by the Prime Minister. The other members of the committee are the Chief Justice of India, the leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha, Lok Sabha Speaker and one other eminent person who decides the awardee each year.
  • 2020 Award : Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh
  • 2019 Award : Late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said Al Said
About Sheikh Mujibur Rahman:
  • Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the first President of Bangladesh. He was also the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1971 until his assassination in 1975.
  • He is popularly known with the title of “Bangabandhu”(“Friend of Bengal”) by the people of Bangladesh.
  • Not only that, but he was an important figure in bringing independence to Bangladesh. Thus, he is regarded as “Jatir Janak” or “Jatir Pita” (both meaning “Father of the Nation”) of Bangladesh.
About Qaboos bin Said Al Said:
  • Qaboos bin Said Al Said was the Sultan of Oman from 1970 until his death in 2020.
  • He was the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and the Arab world at the time of his death.
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