Which institution in India has been selected for Gandhi Peace Award 2021 ?
- (1)Geeta press, Gorakhpur
- (2)Sulabh International
- (3)Vivekanand Kendra, Kanyakumari
- (4)Ram Krishna Mission
Answer
Why
Correct — option (1), Geeta press, Gorakhpur.
Gita Press, Gorakhpur was selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021. The Ministry of Culture announced that the prize would be conferred on it on 18 June 2023, after the jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met that day.
The release says the jury chose Gita Press unanimously, for its contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods. It notes that Gita Press was established in 1923, so the award came as it completed a hundred years.
The release describes it as one of the world's largest publishers: 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore copies of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.
The idea to remember: Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 = Gita Press, Gorakhpur, announced 18 June 2023.
Why the others are wrong
- (2)Sulabh International — Sulabh International already held the prize, from an earlier year. The Ministry of Culture's release of 16 January 2019 named it a joint winner for 2016, with the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
That award recognised its work on sanitation and on freeing manual scavengers. The 2021 prize went to Gita Press.
- (3)Vivekanand Kendra, Kanyakumari — Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, was the Gandhi Peace Prize winner for 2015, announced on 16 January 2019.
That release cited its work in rural development, education and the development of natural resources. It was not the 2021 winner.
- (4)Ram Krishna Mission — The Ramakrishna Mission is a past winner: the Ministry of Culture's 2023 release lists it among earlier awardees such as ISRO and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh.
The 2021 prize, announced in June 2023, went to Gita Press, Gorakhpur.
Concept
The Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the Government of India in 1995, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 125th birth anniversary. It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender.
The award carries Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and a traditional handicraft or handloom item.
A jury headed by the Prime Minister selects the winner, and the prize can be announced years after the year it is for.
RPSC's 2023 syllabus lists "Persons, Places and Institutions in News." under Current Affairs.
The prize has gone to people and to institutions. The 2023 release names Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Desmond Tutu and Baba Amte among past awardees, and the two before Gita Press: Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman for 2019 and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for 2020.
Winners for 2015 to 2018 were announced together on 16 January 2019.
Key facts
- The Ministry of Culture announced on 18 June 2023 that the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 would be conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur.
- The prize was instituted in 1995, on the occasion of Gandhi's 125th birth anniversary, and carries Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and a handicraft or handloom item.
- Gita Press was established in 1923; the release credits it with 41.7 crore books in 14 languages.
- Winners for 2015–2018: Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari (2015); Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh International (2016); Ekal Abhiyan Trust (2017); Yohei Sasakawa (2018).
- The 2019 and 2020 prizes went to Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
All four options name awardees (the Ramakrishna Mission is listed among earlier winners); only Gita Press won it for 2021.
Study next
Common traps
- Picking a past winner: Sulabh International (2016) and Vivekananda Kendra (2015) are genuine awardees, but not for 2021.
- Mixing the prize year with the announcement year: the 2021 prize was announced on 18 June 2023.
- Assuming the prize goes only to people: the 2023 release lists institutions such as ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission and Grameen Bank among past awardees.
A question can ask which person or institution received the prize for a given year.
A question can also ask when the prize was instituted, what it carries, who heads the jury, or which past winner matches which year.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2013 here once that paper is published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following received the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020?
- (a)Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said
- (b)Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
- (c)Gita Press, Gorakhpur
- (d)Yohei Sasakawa
Answer(2) — The Ministry of Culture's 2023 release names Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the 2020 awardee. Option (1) received it for 2019, option (3) for 2021 and option (4) for 2018. - practice — not a real PYQ
The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 to mark which of the following?
- (a)The 50th anniversary of India's independence
- (b)The 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
- (c)The centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha
- (d)The 75th anniversary of the Dandi March
Answer(2) — The Ministry of Culture's releases say the prize was instituted in 1995 on the occasion of Gandhi's 125th birth anniversary. Option (1) fell in 1997; option (3) in 2017; option (4) in 2005, so none matches 1995.