Gandhi Peace Prize

Gandhi Peace Prize

For the award given out by the American organization Promoting Enduring Peace, see Gandhi Peace Award. For the award presented by the London-based Gandhi Foundation, see Gandhi International Peace Award.

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 Mahatma 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 Rs. 10 million 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 sex.

A jury consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India and two other eminent persons 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, however, it is considered that none of the proposals merit recognition, the jury is free to withhold the award for that year. 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, in order to be eligible for consideration, should have been published.

Gandhi Peace Prize Recipients

S.No.	Year	Name	Recipient Description
1	1995	Julius Nyerere	1st President of Tanzania
2	1996	A. T. Ariyaratne	Founder of Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement
3	1997	Gerhard Fischer	German diplomat, recognised for his work against leprosy and polio
4	1998	Ramakrishna Mission	Founded by Swami Vivekananda for promoting social welfare, tolerance, and non-violence among disadvantaged groups
5	1999	Baba Amte	Social Worker
6	2000	Nelson Mandela (co-recipient)	Former President of South Africa
7	2000	Grameen Bank (co-recipient)	Founded by Muhammad Yunus
8	2001	John Hume	Northern Irish Politician
9	2002	Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan	Educational trust that emphasizes Indian culture
10	2003	Václav Havel	Last President of Czechoslovakia and first President of the Czech Republic
11	2004	Coretta Scott King	Widow of Martin Luther King
12	2005	Desmond Tutu	South African cleric and activist