Gandhi Peace Prize of Government of India

The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Government of India on October 2, 1994 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi to encourage and promote Gandhian values world-wide. It carries a cash amount of Rs. one crore. The Award is decided by a five-member jury headed by the Prime Minister. The first ever Gandhi Prize was given to Dr Julius K.Nyerere, former President of Tanzania in 1995. The other recipients include Dr A.T.Ariyaratne of Sri Lanka (1996), Dr Gerhard Fischer (1997) and the Ramakrishna Mission (1998). The 1999 Award was conferred on the Gandhian and noted social worker, Baba Amte, for his exemplary work for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients and his concept of the "Shramik Vidyapeeth". Thereafter the award was given to Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank founded by Muhammad Yunus (2000), John Hume (2001), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (2002), Václav Havel (2003), Coretta Scott King (2004) and Desmond Tutu (2005, but awarded in 2007) and Bhupen Hazarika (2008).

HONOURS & AWARDS

GANDHI PEACE PRIZE