Sad day for liberals, PM Modi rewarded with the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize

No matter how hard the opposition tries to malign Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government in the centre, but the accolades from the international community have kept coming at a steady pace. The latest addition to the long list of awards for PM Modi and his policies came from the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize Committee. The committee has decided to award PM Modi with the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize, the award is a recognition of PM Modi’s tireless efforts at improving international cooperation, raising the global economic growth and for accelerating the Human Development of the Indian citizens. The Seoul Peace Prize Committee recognized PM Modi and his government’s contribution in boosting economic growth and reinforcement of democracy through his anti-corruption and social integration efforts. This is the second international award for the Indian PM in less than a month, the Indian PM had earlier been awarded with the United Nation’s highest environmental honor, ‘Champions of the Earth’ along with the French President Emmanuel Macron in late September. They were recognized in the ‘Policy Leadership Category’ for spearheading and making immense contribution in championing’ the International Solar Alliance and “new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action”.

The Seoul Peace Prize was started in 1990 after the successful hosting of the 24th Olympic Games which were held in Seoul, Korea. The prize is usually declared once every two years and multiple awardees of the Seoul Peace Prize have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The recipients of the Seoul Peace Prize who have went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize include names of people and organizations such as Doctors Without Borders (1996 SPP, 1999 NPP) and Bangladeshi Dr. Muhammad Yunus (2006 SPP, 2006 NPP), the founder of Grameen Bank. The recipient list also has illustrious and well known names such as Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, Abdul Sattar Edhi who runs the world’s largest volunteer ambulance network across Pakistan and Angela Merkel the Chancellor of Germany since 2005.

PM Modi has become the first Indian and the first politician from Asia to be awarded with the Seoul Peace Prize. The announcement coming in just over four years of his term as the PM of India signifies the quantum jump which India has made under PM Modi in the past few years. A major surge in bilateral ties with countries around the globe with focus on mutual coexistence and development have greatly enhanced India’s image in international scenario. India is also developing rapidly at a never seen before pace and has managed to maintain its growth rate despite the hostile international scenario. The efforts by PM Modi to make India and the rest of the world cleaner and greener by forging long lasting bonds with the leaders of many countries from Asia, Africa and other regions. India has signed logistics agreement with France and US. The approach of the Indian government in the recent years has changed for the better under PM Modi led BJP government, a fact which the world has woken up to at the right time, enough to shut up the opposition for good. The decisive shift to the “Right” in Indian policy has been the fundamental change in the government establishment and this has paved the path for India’s rise as a global power.