Gandhi Peace Prize 2014 conferred on ISRO

President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014 on Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar on behalf of the organisation received the prize at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
ISRO was chosen for the prestigious award in March 2015 for its contribution in development of space technology and satellite-based services, making space technology a catalyst of development of India and bringing societal transformation and provided the service to the common man and nation.

About Gandhi Peace Prize

• Instituted in 1995 by Union Government as a part of the 125th birth anniversary celebration of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Awarded annually to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.
• The prize carries an award of one crore rupees, a plaque and a citation.
• Previous recipients: Julius Nyerere (the first President of Tanzania) was the first recipient of the prize (1995). Other important recipients are Ramakrishna Mission, Baba Amte, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Grameen Bank, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and others.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2015