Ogata gets Indira Gandhi award

Thu, 21 Nov 2002 | Source: AP

NEW DELHI: Sadako Ogata, Japan's special representative to Afghanistan and a former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has received the Indira Gandhi International Award for Peace, Disarmament and Development.

Presenting the 3.3 million rupee (US$68,750) award, Indian President A.P.J. Kalam said on Tuesday that India should heed Ogata's message of humanism and shed differences in the name of religion, caste and wealth.

Ogata was chosen for the award because of her work in protecting refugees. Kalam said that her care and compassion for the downtrodden were in line with the principals of Indira Gandhi, a former Indian prime minister assassinated in 1984.--AP

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