PM Modi Awarded Seoul Peace Prize 2018 For 'Modinomics' & Furthering Democracy In India

The prestigious Seoul Peace Prize for the year 2018 has been conferred to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs has reportedly said that the honour is in recognition of PM Modi’s efforts towards international cooperation while lauding his anti-corruption and social integration efforts which have furthered the development of democracy in India.

The world acknowledges.

PM @narendramodi awarded prestigious Seoul Peace Prize 2018 for contribution to high economic growth in India and world through 'Modinomics', contribution to world peace, improving human development & furthering democracy in India. https://t.co/ugXhhG7Dls pic.twitter.com/5e98THX4M8

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) October 24, 2018

PM Modi is the 14th recipient of this award which is given once every two years, as reported by The Indian Express. The Seoul Peace Prize was initiated in the year 1990 to celebrate the successful 24th Olympic Games in Seoul, Republic of Korea and as a recognition of the desire of the Korean people for peace in the peninsula and peace in the world. The award honours those who have made significant contributions to world peace. The past recipients include Doctors Without Borders, German Chancellor Merkel, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Oxfam, founder of Grameen Bank Dr Muhammad Yunus and other renowned dignitaries and organisations.

The award committee reportedly hailed ‘Modinomics’ for reducing the socioeconomic disparity in India and referred to Modi as ‘the perfect candidate.’ The award will be presented at a mutually agreeable time. The Indian PM has expressed his gratitude and acknowledged the deepening partnership of India with the Republic of Korea.

The award committee noted several achievements of PM Modi, including the proactive foreign policy under ‘Act East Policy’ and ‘Modi Doctrine’. Moreover, the efforts toward improving human development were also recognised.

The Logical Indian Take

International awards and recognition are an honour and several earlier recipients of Seoul Peace Prize were later nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as well. This kind of awards boost India’s prestige at a global level and are a feather in our cap. However, in the statement released by MEA, things like reducing the socioeconomic disparity, foreign policy, human development have been hailed as achievements. If we look back at the past four years, the struggle with fuel prices continues to hit the middle-class while mob-vigilantism in the name of cow generated fear in the hearts of innocent citizens. The unemployment continues to be an issue and our relations with neighbours like Maldives and Nepal have deteriorated to some extent. The NDA government was elected in 2014 with a majority and as the nation gears up for the election in 2019, the focus should be on upliftment of the mass of the billion plus Indians. This award should not be taken as a seal of international approval, rather as a means to propel the efforts towards building a 21st-century-ready India.

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