Renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough to be presented with Indira Gandhi peace prize

New Delhi, Sep 07: Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust is all set to present the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2019 to renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough on Monday.

Attenborough was named the recipient of the award in November 2019. His name was selected by an international jury chaired by former President Pranab Mukherjee, who died last week.

The virtual award ceremony will be attended by Congress president and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi.

Announcing his name, the Trust, last year said, "Few individuals have come to be as identified with the well being of our planet, of all living creatures, and their relationship with human beings, as Sir David."

"The prize is awarded to him for a lifetime of doing more to reveal the wonders of the natural world than perhaps any other individual," it added.

"In a lifetime of communicating effectively and evocatively about the natural world, he has become a powerful and persuasive voice on the need to heed warnings of looming ecological disaster, to maintain the Earth's delicate balance, and to cherish and preserve the natural world," the Trust said.

The secretary of the Trust, Suman Dubey had said Sir David had tirelessly worked to "awaken humankind to the need to preserve and protect the biodiversity on our planet, to live in a sustainable and harmonious way with all life, and to stop being what he has called: 'a plague on earth'."

Last year, Sonia Gandhi had presented the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2018 to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based environment think-tank, for its work in environmental education and protection.