Gita Press: Will receive citation but not Rs 1-crore cash award

On Sunday, the jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi unanimously decided in favour of Gita Press for the award.

The institution has, in the past, claimed that it never relied on advertisement for revenue generation, nor do they rely on any donations.

The trustee board of the press met late on Sunday after the award was announced and decided not to receive the cash component of Rs 1 crore, it said.

Instituted by the government in 1995 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the annual Gandhi Peace Prize is open to anyone regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender, says the government statement. It carries prize money of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and a traditional handicraft/handloom item.

At present, Gita Press is one of the world’s largest publishers and the only indigenous publishing enterprise of colonial India that continues to thrive in the 21st century. Its books are published in 15 languages, including English, Urdu and Nepali.

During the pandemic, when publishers across the world were facing major crises, Gita Press grew.

Tripathi said that “such is demand from everywhere these days that we are often unable to meet it. In the financial year 2022-23, we sold over 2.40 crore copies of our books for nearly Rs 111 crore.”