Gita Press declines cash reward for Gandhi Peace Award

 

 

 

 

THE Gita Press in Gorakhpur has refused to accept Rs one crore cash reward for the Gandhi Peace Award. It said that it would only accept the citationand not the cash prize. The jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unanimously selected Gita Press as the recipient of the award. The announcement of the Gandhi Peace Award was made on Sunday. The prize includes a reward of Rs one crore, a certificate of appreciation and a plaque. Refusing to accept the honorarium, Gita Press in a statement suggested the Government should spend the money else where. Gita Press saiditwouldonly accept a certificate of appreciation.

The publisher thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Culture Ministry for conferring the prestigious award on it. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Gita Press for winning the prize and commended its contribution to the field. Gita Press, based in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur,isoneoftheworld’s largest publishers, having published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, an official statement said.