Kalam to confer Gandhi Prize on Desmond Tutu on January 31

New Delhi, Jan 16 (UNI) Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be conferred the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize, 2005 by President A P J Abdul Kalam at a special function here on January 31.

Archbishop Tutu, a South African cleric and activist, shot to international fame as an indefatigable opponent of apartheid.

The jury for the award, at its meeting on September 26 last year, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had selected Archbishop Tutu for the prize, which carries an amount of Rs one crore or its equivalent in foreign currency and a citation.

The famous cleric, who became the first black person to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa, will be conferred the award at a special ceremony to be held at Ashok Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Archbishop Tutu consistently worked for reconciliation among all parties involved in apartheid through his writings and lectures at home and abroad.

For his role as a unifying leader in the campaign to end the obnoxious phenomenon of apartheid, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. After the fall of apartheid, he headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for which he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999.

He has strongly advocated human rights and democracy in Palestine and Indonesia. His unwavering support to democratic rights and criticism of human rights abuse have been consistent and a great moral support to the oppressed everywhere.

''In honouring Archbishop Desmond Tutu, India pays a tribute to an extraordinary man who, by his fearlessness, selflessness and dedication to the cause of humanity, upheld those ideals which were dearest to Mahatma Gandhi,'' an official note said.

The Centre had launched the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995 on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Award is given for outstanding work and contribution to social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.

The Jury for the selection of the Gandhi Peace Prize awardee comprises of the Prime Minister who is the Chairman of the jury, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India and two other eminent persons. At present, former President R Venkataraman and former Prime Minister I K Gujral are the two members of the Jury in this category.

The earlier recipients of the prize are former Tanzania President Dr Julius Nyerere (1995), Dr A T Ariyaratne, Founder-President of Sarvodaya Movement in Sri Lanka (1996), Dr Gerhard Fischer of Germany (1997), Ramakrishna Mission (1998), Baba Amte (1999), former South African President Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh (2000), John Hume of Ireland (2001), Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan (2002) and former Czech President Vaclav Havel (2003).

UNI