Yes to honour, no to cash prize says Gita Press, BJP puts up defence against criticism on choice
The Hindu
Gita Press on June 19 said that the decision of the jury of the Gandhi Peace Prize to confer the award to the publishers was a “matter of great honour” but specified that the organistation would not accept the cash component of the award keeping with its tradition of not receiving any kind of donation.
Gita Press on June 19 said that the decision of the jury of the Gandhi Peace Prize to confer the award to the publishers was a “matter of great honour” but specified that the organistation would not accept the cash component of the award keeping with its tradition of not receiving any kind of donation.
The trustee board of the Press met in Gorakhpur late on June 18 after the award was announced and decided not to receive the cash component of ₹1 crore. The publisher thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Culture Ministry for conferring the prestigious award on it. The recipients of the Gandhi Peace Prize get ₹1 crore, a citation, a plaque, and an exquisite traditional handicraft or handloom item.
“It is a matter of great honour for us. It is our principle not to accept any kind of donations, so the trustee board has decided not to take the award in any monetary form. However, we will certainly accept the award for the honour of it,” Gita Press manager Lalmani Tripathi said.
Also Read | Gita Press, Gorakhpur, awarded Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021
The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 will be conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur, in recognition of its “outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”, Union Culture Ministry had announced on Sunday, a decision taken by the jury headed by Prime Minister Modi.
The decision was not welcomed by all quarters however, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh terming it a “travesty” and it being like “awarding Savarkar and Godse”.
“The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 has been conferred on the Gita Press at Gorakhpur which is celebrating its centenary this year. There is a very fine biography from 2015 of this organisation by Akshaya Mukul in which he unearths the stormy relations it had with the Mahatma and the running battles it carried on with him on his political, religious & social agenda. The decision is really a travesty and is like awarding Savarkar and Godse,” Mr. Ramesh had said in a tweet.
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