India

Gita Press Refuses Cash Reward For Gandhi Peace Prize Honour; Know Why?

New Delhi: Gita Press, Gorakhpur, one of the world’s largest publishers, has refused to accept the Rs 1 crore cash reward for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 amid a controversy over being picked for the honour. The Congress severely criticised the decision to honour Gita Press, calling it a “travesty” and “like awarding Savarkar and Godse”.

The jury headed by Prime Minister Modi unanimously decided to select Gita Press as the recipient of the award on Sunday. “I congratulate Gita Press, Gorakhpur on being conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021. They have done commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people. @GitaPress,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Sunday.

The publisher on Monday said that it would only accept the citation, suggesting that the government should spend the cash reward amount elsewhere. The award also includes a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.

 

“The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 has been conferred on the Gita Press at Gorakhpur which is celebrating its centenary this year.”

“There is a very fine biography from 2015 of this organisation by Akshaya Mukul in which he unearths the stormy relations it had with the Mahatma and the running battles it carried on with him on his political, religious and social agenda,” party leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

The Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted in 1995, on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as a tribute to the ideals espoused by Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender. Recent awardees include Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Oman (2019) and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (2020), Bangladesh.

OB Bureau
Share
Published by
OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Saudi Arabia, Australia & Hamas React To Trump’s Gaza ‘Take Over’ Plan

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take “ownership” of battle-leveled Gaza has led to… Read More

23 minutes ago

Goods Train Derails, Crashes Into Slum In Odisha’s Rourkela

Rourkela: A goods train crashed into Malgodown slum parking in Rourkela's Basanti colony after three… Read More

1 hour ago

Delhi Assembly Polls: President Murmu, Jaishankar & Rahul Gandhi Among Early Voters

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were… Read More

2 hours ago

Odisha Vigilance Recovers Rs 1.5 Cr During Raids On Watershed PD In Malkangiri

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday recovered around Rs 1.5 crore in cash during raids… Read More

2 hours ago

Latest Odisha Breaking News Updates | Wednesday, 05 February 2025

Stay ahead with Odisha Bytes Breaking News - your ultimate source for the fastest, most… Read More

7 hours ago

KIIT TBI Hosts ‘BRICS Youth Council Entrepreneurship Pre-Consultation’ In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The ‘BRICS Youth Council Entrepreneurship Pre-Consultation meet was organised by KIIT-TBI on Tuesday, bringing… Read More

14 hours ago