Gandhi Peace Prize and National Unity Awards: Full Notes

The correct answer is B, 1995. The Government of India instituted the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995, the year of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, as an annual award for social, economic and political transformation achieved through non violence and other Gandhian methods. Option A, 1969, is wrong although it is a tempting year, because 1969 was the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi and no such prize was created then. Option C, 2001, is wrong; by that year the prize had already been given several times, including to Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank for 2000. Option D, 1985, is wrong because that is the year the Indian National Congress instituted the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, a party award and not a government one. Remember the pairing of 1995 with the 125th anniversary; it is the single most repeated fact from this chapter.

The correct answer is C, the Prime Minister of India. The jury for the Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by the Prime Minister, and its other members are the Chief Justice of India, the Leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha and two eminent persons. Option A is wrong: the President confers the Padma awards and the Bharat Ratna and does not head this jury. Option B is wrong because the Chief Justice of India is a member of the jury but not its chairman, and this is the distractor the paper setter is relying on. Option D is wrong because the Ministry of Culture administers the prize and handles its paperwork, but the Minister does not chair the jury. Learn the composition as a rule rather than as a list of names, since the office holders change while the offices remain fixed.

The correct answer is B, Julius Nyerere. The first Gandhi Peace Prize, for 1995, went to Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania, who was known for his belief in self reliance and non violent nation building. Option A is wrong because Nelson Mandela of South Africa received the prize for 2000, sharing it with Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. Option C is wrong because Baba Amte, the founder of Anandwan who worked among leprosy patients, received the prize for 1999. Option D is wrong because Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa received it for 2005. All four names are genuine recipients, so the question turns purely on the order, and the safe way to hold it is the pair Nyerere and 1995, the first year of the award itself.

The correct answer is B, the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014 was conferred on the Indian Space Research Organisation, and it is asked often because a space agency looks out of place among peace awards; the citation recognised the use of space technology for the welfare of ordinary people. Option A is wrong; the Indian Council of Medical Research is a real body but has not been named for this prize. Option C is wrong because Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan received the prize for an earlier year, 2002, and not 2014. Option D is wrong because the Ramakrishna Mission received it for 1998. The lesson is that the prize is open to institutions as well as individuals, so an organisation in the options is never automatically wrong.

The correct answer is C, the Ministry of Culture. The Gandhi Peace Prize is administered by the Ministry of Culture, which issues the notification and arranges the ceremony, although the selection rests with a jury chaired by the Prime Minister. Option A is wrong, but it is the sharpest distractor, because the Ministry of Home Affairs handles the communal harmony honours, namely Kabir Puraskar and the awards of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony. Option B is wrong; the Ministry of External Affairs has no role here, and the international award administered outside it is the Nehru Award for International Understanding, which sits with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Option D is wrong because the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment gives awards in the field of disability and social welfare, not this one.

The correct answer is C, 31 October. The Sardar Patel National Unity Award is announced on 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day. Option A is wrong because the Padma awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day and conferred later, so 26 January belongs to a different set of honours. Option B is wrong: 2 October is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and is observed as the International Day of Non Violence, but the Gandhi Peace Prize is not tied to that date. Option D is wrong because no civilian award in this chapter is announced on Independence Day; 15 August is the day gallantry awards are announced. Note also that the Patel award carries a medal and a citation and no cash, and at most three awards may be given in a year.

The correct answer is B, one crore rupees. The Gandhi Peace Prize carries one crore rupees in cash, together with a citation, a plaque and a piece of traditional handicraft or handloom, and the money may be paid in any convertible currency because the prize is open to citizens of every country. Option A is wrong, and it is the trap in the question, because twenty five lakh rupees is the amount attached to the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, given by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. Option C is wrong; no figure of fifty lakh rupees is attached to this prize. Option D is wrong because the award with no cash at all is the Sardar Patel National Unity Award, which carries only a medal and a citation. Keep the three amounts as a set so the options cannot mislead you.

The correct answer is B. Kabir Puraskar was instituted in 1990 by the Ministry of Home Affairs to honour ordinary citizens who show physical or moral courage in saving the lives and property of members of another community, especially during communal disturbance. Option A is wrong; the awards for Hindi and other literature are the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Jnanpith Award, and the name Kabir misleads candidates into choosing a literary answer. Option C is wrong because no national award is given for research on medieval saints; the award is named after Kabir for his message of harmony between communities, not for scholarship about him. Option D is wrong because handloom work is recognised by the Sant Kabir Award for weavers, a different honour given by the textiles ministry, and the similarity of names is exactly what the question is testing.

The correct answer is B, U Thant. The Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding was instituted by the Government of India in 1965 and administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and its first recipient in that same year was U Thant of Burma, then Secretary General of the United Nations. Option A is wrong because Mother Teresa received the award later, in 1969. Option C is wrong because Nelson Mandela received it in 1979, many years before he became President of South Africa. Option D is wrong because Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Frontier Gandhi, also received the award but not as the first recipient, and he is better remembered in exams as the first non Indian to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, in 1987. Keep the award apart from the Gandhi Peace Prize of 1995.

The correct answer is B, 20 August. The Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award, instituted in 1992 by the Indian National Congress, is presented on 20 August, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, which is observed as Sadbhavana Diwas, and it recognises outstanding contribution to communal harmony, peace and goodwill. Option A is wrong because 19 November is the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi and is observed as National Integration Day in some listings, not as Sadbhavana Diwas. Option C is wrong because 31 October is Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, on which the Sardar Patel National Unity Award is announced. Option D is wrong; 14 November is the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru and is observed as Children Day in India. Link each award to the leader whose anniversary it falls on and this group becomes easy marks.