President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014 to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The President congratulated the Indian Space community on ISRO being awarded the coveted Gandhi Peace Prize. ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar received the honour, which includes Rs 1 crore in cash, a plaque, and a citation. The Award has been given to ISRO in recognition of its services towards transforming India through the use of space technology and space-based services.
India is the only country in the world to reach Mars in its first attempt, and ISRO the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars.
Points to Note
- The annual Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the government of India in 1995 on the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The Prestigious Award is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.
- Chandi Prasad Bhatt, a Gandhian environmentalist and social activist who founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS) in Gopeshwar in 1964, which later became a mother organisation to the Chipko movement, was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013.
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The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed on
