On December 19, 2019 the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind presided the 2nd meeting of National Committee for Commemoration of the 150th Birth anniversary (October 2) of Mahatma Gandhi ‘Gandhi@150’ which was held in New Delhi. The highlights of the meeting in brief are as follows:
Important events in the meeting:
- Ebook launched: During the committee meeting the President Shri Kovind received 1st copies of ebook on commemorative activities. The e-book was compiled by the Ministry of Culture(MoC).
- Anthology on Gandhi launched: An anthology (collection of poems or collection of writing) on Gandhi compiled by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) from the Prime Minister(PM) formally released them. 126 persons from around the world have written the anthology on their experiences with Gandhi’s teachings.
- Short film: A short film on commemorative activities undertaken by the govt. as part of the global celebrations of ‘Gandhi@150’ was shown during the meeting.
Portugal announced the launch of Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize:
The Prime Minister of Portugal, António Luís Santos da Costa, announced the Portuguese govt’s launch of Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize to perpetuate Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. The announced prize will be given annually. The announcement was made During his Antonio’s visit to India from December 19-20, 2019 on the invitation by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
- 1st edition: 1st edition of the prize will be awarded to animal welfare. The decision to award animal welfare in 1st edition was taken considering the view of Mahatma Gandhi that a nation is judged based on how its animals are treated.
- It is to be noted that António Costa is the only foreign Prime Minister to be a part of the National committee.
PM attends the 2nd National Committed meet:
The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi attended the 2nd National Committee meeting.
About National Committee:
i.Formation: The National Committee was formed to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in both national and international level. The Commemoration is undertaken for two years ie. from October 2, 2018 to October 2, 2020.
ii.Total Members: The committee has 125 members (National and International level).
iii.Committee members: The members of the committee include Vice-President, PM, Chief Ministers(CM) of all states, Gandhians, thinkers, and eminent persons from all walks of life.
iv.International Members: The committee comprises of 9 International members including the 2 former Secretaries-General of the United Nations(UN) who are Mr. Kofi Annan and Mr. Ban Ki-Moon.
About Portugal:
Capital- Lisbon.
Currency- Euro.
President- Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
