Gita Press gets ‘Gandhi Peace Prize’ for 2021 for social services

The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 will be conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur, in recognition of its “outstanding contribution towards social, economic, and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”, according to an official statement.
The jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi unanimously decided to select Gita Press, Gorakhpur, as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Culture.
Prime Minister Modi recalled the contribution of Gita Press in promoting the Gandhian ideals of peace and social harmony. He observed that the conferment of the Gandhi Peace Prize on Gita Press, on the completion of 100 years of its establishment, is a recognition of the work done by the institution in community service, the statement said.
Established in 1923, Gita Press is one of the world’s largest publishers, having published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore of the Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, it said.
“The Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 recognises the important and unparalleled contribution of Gita Press, in contributing to the collective upliftment of humanity, which personifies Gandhian living in its true sense,” the statement said.
The Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the government 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. The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item, the
ministry said.