‘Pratham’ gets Indira Gandhi prize for works in education

New Delhi: Former Vice-President Shri Hamid Ansari presented the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, 2021, on birth anniversary of Smt. Indira Gandhi i.e. November 19, 2022, to ‘Pratham’, an NGO functioning in the field of education. The award is in recognition of Pratham’s work in ensuring quality education for children of the country, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shri Ansari said that Pratham’s efforts have been globally appreciated. He said that ‘Pratham’ also used digital technology to deliver education so that the children could learn during the school closure amid the pandemic.

In her address, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust and former Congress President, said that Smt. Indira Gandhi had left an indelible imprint on the country. She further said that Smt. Indira Gandhi having spent a year at Shantiniketan herself, was alive to the need for innovation in education, which she strove for during her tenure as Prime Minister. We are glad, very glad, in fact, that the prize is being received on behalf of ‘Pratham’ by Dr. Rukmini Banerji. I congratulate ‘Pratham’ on behalf of all of you too and I hope the prize that celebrates Indira Gandhi will provide renewed impetus to the work of Dr. Banerji and her colleagues at ‘Pratham’ in the future.

In her acceptance speech, ‘Pratham’ CEO Rukmini Banerji said that the NGO believed in community and family participation in the growth of a child. “Many of the things we have learnt are learned from children and the community on the ground,” she said.

The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual prestigious award. It has been named after former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi. It is being conferred every year since 1986 by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. It consists of a monetary award of `25 lakh along with a citation.