The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2013 has
been awarded to eminent
Gandhian and
environmentalist, Shri Chandi Prasad
Bhatt.
The Jury for the Prize met under the Chairmanship of the Prime
Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh on 18th February 2014 and decided upon his name.
The other members of the Jury were Justice P. Sathasivam, Chief Justice of
India, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha), Dr. Karan Singh,
M.P(Rajya Sabha) and Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, ex- Governor, West Bengal.
Shri Chandi Prasad Bhatt, born in 1934 , is a
noted Gandhian environmentalist and social activist. He was one of the pioneers of the Chipko movement for
which he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay
Award in 1982. He is also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 2005. One of India’s first modern
environmentalists, today he is known for his work on subaltern social ecology.
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 Mohandas 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.