Gita Press, Gorakhpur, one of the largest publishers in the world, has rejected to accept the Rs 1 crore cash prize for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 as a result of the controversy surrounding its nomination for the honour. On Sunday, the panel, which was presided over by Prime Minister Modi, voted to give the prize to Gita Press. "I am happy to announce that Gita Press, Gorakhpur, has been awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021. Over the past 100 years, they have done admirable work to advance societal and cultural changes among the populace. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "@GitaPress." Today, the publisher said that it would only accept the citation and advised the government to divert the cash incentive funds to other uses. A plaque and an outstanding traditional handcraft or item are also included with the prize.
Gita Press' honouring was harshly attacked by the Congress, who referred to it as a "travesty" and said it was "like awarding Savarkar and Godse." The Gita Press in Gorakhpur, which is commemorating its centenary this year, has been awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021. Party leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "There is a really great biography of this group from 2015 by Akshaya Mukul in which he unearths the tumultuous ties it had with the Mahatma and the ongoing struggles it carried on with him on his political, religious, and social agenda. In 1995, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth and in honour of the ideas he upheld, the Gandhi Peace Prize was established as an annual honour. Everyone is eligible for the prize, regardless of their gender, country, ethnicity, language, caste, or faith. Recent honorees include Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh (2020) and Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of Oman (2019).
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