ISRO named for Gandhi Peace Prize 2014

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014.
It was announced by the jury for the Prize which had met under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
ISRO was chosen for the prestigious award for its contribution in

• Development through space technology and satellite-based services.
• Making space technology a catalyst of development.
• Bringing societal transformation and provided the service to the common man and nation.

In this process it has become one of the six largest space agencies of the world.

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 Rs. 1.00 crore, a plaque and a citation.
• Previous winners of award- 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 - March, 2015