The Ministry of Culture on Wednesday (16 January) announced the recipients for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 edition of the Gandhi peace prize, reports PIB.

The jury for the award comprised of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge and senior Parliamentarian L K Advani.

The winners were unanimously selected based on detailed discussions carried out on 16 January.

The Vivekananda Kendra based out of Kanyakumari has been awarded the prize for the year 2015 for its contributions in rural development, education and natural resource development.

For its contribution to provide mid-day meals to lakhs of kids across India, the Akshaya Patra Foundation has been jointly conferred the award for 2016 along with Sulabh International for its efforts to improve sanitation and emancipate manual scavengers.

Akshaya Patra has been commended for ensuring nutritious meals which have also resulted in more kids going to school. Sulabh International has been credited with furthering the Swachh Bharat Mission.

The prize for the year 2017 has been awarded to Ekal Abhiyan Trust for providing education to tribal children in remote areas, besides working for rural empowerment, gender and social equality.

The award for 2018 has been conferred on Yohei Sasakawa for his efforts to eradicate leprosy. He has also been credited with motivating millions of people and being involved in various philanthropic initiatives.

The recipients would receive a citation in a scroll, a plaque, a handicraft memento and a cash prize of Rs 1 crore.