Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 confers on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

India has conferred Gandhi Price Prize 2020 on Bangladesh’s first President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

On Monday, March 22, the Cultural Ministry of India has announced that the Gandhi Peace Price for the year 2020 has been conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for bringing stability to Bangladesh, laying the foundation for the close and fraternal relations between India and Bangladesh, and promoting peace and non-violence in the Indian subcontinent.

Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by Government of India since 1995, the 125th Birth Anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex. The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque andan exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item.

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PM Narendra Modi also shared the news through his Twitter handle and said, “Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 has been conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, one of the greatest leaders of our subcontinent. Year 2020 marked the birth centenary of Bangabandhu. He remains an icon of indomitable courage and tireless struggle for his millions of admirers.”

“Bangabandhu’s vision continues to light the India-Bangladesh friendship. I had the privilege of honouring his memory during my previous Bangladesh visit and will again pay homage to him, alongside PM Hasina, during the #MujibBorsho celebrations,” PM Modi further tweeted.

The Jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ,and comprises  of two ex-officio members– the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and  Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha. Two eminent members are also part of the Jury– Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organization.

The Jury met on 19th March, 2021 and after due deliberations, unanimously decided to select Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prizefor the year 2020, in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.

The past awardees include luminaries like Dr. Julius Nyerere, Former President of Tanzania; Dr. Gerhard Fischer, Federal Republic of Germany; Ramakrishna Mission; Baba Amte (Shri Murlidhar Devidas Amte); Late Dr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa; Grameen Bank of Bangladesh; Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa; Shri Chandi Prasad Bhatt & Indian Space Research Organisation. Recent awardees include Vivekananda Kendra, India (2015); Akshaya Patra Foundation, India and Sulabh International (Jointly, for 2016); Ekal Abhiyan Trust, India (2017) and Shri Yohei Sasakawa, Japan (2018).