Days forward of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bangladesh go to, India introduced the Gandhi Peace Prize for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the neighbouring nation’s first president. Rahman additionally served because the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 17 April 1971, till his assassination, on 15 August 1975, and is taken into account to be the driving pressure behind the independence of Bangladesh.
His daughter Sheikh Hasina is the present chief of the Awami League and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The annual award — which carries a monetary award of Rs 1 crore, a quotation, a plaque and a conventional Indian merchandise — was instituted by the federal government in 1995, the one hundred and twenty fifth Birth Anniversary commemoration yr of Mahatma Gandhi. It is open to all folks no matter nationality, race, language, caste or gender.
The jury for the Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by the Prime Minister himself and contains two ex-officio members — the Chief Justice of India and Leader of the one largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha. The different two members of the five-member jury embrace present Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Bindeshwar Pathak, founding father of Sulabh International, who received the award in 2016.
The jury met on March 19, and sources stated Rahman’s identify was unanimously determined upon, in recognition of the late chief’s “outstanding contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”.
After the announcement on Monday, Modi stated, “Bangabandhu (‘Friend of Bengal’ — a moniker given to Rahman) was a champion of human rights and freedom, and a hero to Indians as well.” He stated the “path shown by Bangabandhu has laid a strong foundation for the partnership, progress and prosperity of both countries over the last decade”, and added, “As Bangladesh celebrates Mujib Borsho, India is honoured to be commemorating his legacy jointly with the Government of Bangladesh and its people.”
Modi is scheduled to go to Bangladesh on March 26-27 to attend the celebrations to mark the Rahman’s start centenary and 50 years of the conflict of liberation of Bangladesh, as per a press release by the Union Ministry of External Affairs earlier this week. The go to, Modi’s first international journey because the pandemic, is noteworthy because the PM is scheduled to go to Orakandi — a spot thought of sacred to the Matua neighborhood of West Bengal. The go to additionally comes weeks earlier than Assembly elections in West Bengal.
The Gandhi Peace Prize for the earlier yr, 2019, was additionally introduced on Monday night, and has been awarded to the late Omani chief Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said.
“Sultan Qaboos was the architect of the special ties between India and Oman. He had studied in India and always maintained a special relationship with India. Under his leadership, India and Oman became strategic partners and our mutually beneficial, comprehensive partnership strengthened and scaled newer heights,” stated a authorities assertion whereas saying the award.
The previous awardees of the Gandhi Peace Prize embrace former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere, Baba Amte, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, the Akshaya Patra Foundation, and Yohei Sasakawa of Japan. This is the primary time awards are being given posthumously.
