INDIRA GANDHI PRIZE FOR PEACE

The Indira Gandhi Prize or the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize or the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is the prestigious award accorded annually by India to individuals or organizations in recognition of creative efforts toward promoting international peace, development and a new international economic order; ensuring that scientific discoveries are used for the larger good of humanity, and enlarging the scope of freedom.

The prize carries a cash award of 25 lakh Indian rupees and a citation. A written work, in order to be eligible for consideration, should have been published. The panel constituted by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust consists of prominent national and international personalities including previous recipients. The recipients are chosen from a pool of national and international nominees.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be awarded the coveted Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2013 choosed by  an international jury headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh .The announcement was made on November 19, 2013 by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.

The prize was being given to 59-year-old Merkel, who became the first woman to be elected as Chancellor of Germany for her work in promotion of global economic stability and commitment to universal peace and disarmament and her leadership role in strengthening productive and mutually beneficial relations with India and other developing countries.

Last five Recipients

Year	Recipient	State/Organization	Description
2008	Mohamed ElBaradei	Egypt	4th Director General of the IAEA
2009	Sheikh Hasina	Bangladesh	Prime Minister of Bangladesh
2010	Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva	Brazil	Ex-President of Brazil
2011	Ela Bhatt	India	Founder of SEWA
2012	Ellen Johnson Sirleaf	Liberia	President of Liberia

2012 Reciepient

Liberian President and Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will be conferred the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development by President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday.

74-year-old Sirleaf, the first democratically elected women Head of State of any African nation, will be presented with the award at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in the name of former Prime Minister Late Indira Gandhi. It celebrates the values that she stood and fought for in the service of our nation and its people," a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

An economist, Sirleaf, who shared her Nobel prize with Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakel Karman of Yemen, was named among top 10 leaders by 'Newsweek' magazine in 2010.

The winners of the prize were recognised by Nobel Prize committee for their "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".

The Nobel prize committee had said, "She has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women."