India named Bangladesh’s father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Oman’s longtime ruler Sultan Qaboos for the Gandhi Peace Prize, an official statement by the government said.
The prestigious prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman in recognition of his vision to strengthen relations with India, and his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region, the ministry said.
This is the first time that the prize for 2019 and 2020 has been awarded posthumously.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman was the Middle East’s longest-ruling monarch, and known internationally for his diplomatic balancing in the volatile Persian Gulf. He often served as a facilitator of talks between adversaries, Iran and the US.
The decision to confer the award for 2020 on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman comes days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral visit to Dhaka to partake in the ‘Mujib Barsho’ celebrations marking the birth centenary of the Sheikh Mujibur, also known as ‘Bangabandhu’. The honour also assumes special significance as it comes on the 50th year of Bangladesh’s independence.
Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by Government of India since 1995, the 125th Birth Anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex. The Jury for the prize is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprises of two ex-officio members, namely the Chief Justice of India and Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha.
Two eminent members are also part of the Jury, namely Om Birla Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organization.
The Jury met on March 19, 2021, and after due deliberations, unanimously decided to select Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020, in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.
The past awardees include luminaries like Dr Julius Nyerere, former President of Tanzania; Dr Gerhard Fischer, Federal Republic of Germany; Ramakrishna Mission; Baba Amte (Murlidhar Devidas Amte); Dr Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa; Grameen Bank of Bangladesh; Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa; Chandi Prasad Bhatt & Indian Space Research Organisation.
Recent awardees include Vivekananda Kendra, India (2015); Akshaya Patra Foundation, India and Sulabh International (Jointly, for 2016); Ekal Abhiyan Trust, India (2017), Yohei Sasakawa, Japan (2018) and Late Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman (2019).
The award carries an amount of ₹1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item.
