Gita Press to accept Gandhi Peace Prize but not cash component

Gorakhpur (UP): Gita Press on Monday said it was a matter of great honour to be conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize, but the publisher would not accept the cash component of the award keeping with its tradition of not receiving any kind of donations.

The trustee board of the press met here late on Sunday after the award was announced and decided not to receive the cash component of Rs 1 crore. The publisher thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Culture Ministry for conferring the prestigious award on it. "It is a matter of great honour for us. It is our principle not to accept any kind of donations, so the trustee board has decided not to take the award in any monetary form.

However, we will certainly accept the award for the honour of it," Gita Press manager Lalmani Tripathi told reporters Monday.

A wave of happiness prevailed in Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where the press is located, as soon as the news came that it will be conferred the prize for 2021. Gita Press is the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts and it was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for promoting the principles of Sanatan Dharma.

The press has published more than 93 crore books so far and all the publishing work of the press is done in Gorakhpur. Tripathi said they publish 1,800 types of books in 15 languages. "In the financial year 2022-23, we provided 2 crore 40 lakh books to our readers and despite its low cost, the monetary value of the books is Rs 111 crore.