Kathmandu, May 8:

The Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) has announced to award Peace Award worth $50,000 to an international personality contributing to peace, said Dr Keshar Man Shakya, vice-president of the trust.

In an interaction organised by Reporters’ Club here today, Dr Shakya said the trust had started consultation with Norway-based Nobel Peace Organisation about the process to conduct the prestigious award.

The trust had already established a reserve fund of 10 million rupees three years ago and has been adding one million rupees every year since then.

“The trust believes that the Peace Award will be the second prestigious award after Nobel Peace award,” Dr Shakya said adding that the award would help promote Lumbini as a fountain of peace.

“Awarding prestigious peace award from the land of Gautam Buddha’s birth place will prove to be a novel idea to popularise the country and Lumbini,” he told this daily.

On the occasion, Lumbini-based Buddhist monk and the writer of Nepal-Peace Is At hand, Thay Huyen Dieu, also known as Dr. Lam, lauded political leaders’ conciliatory approach and urged all to continue the sprit of understanding, forgiveness and dialogue.

“Reconciliation is Nepali philosophy, if you continue to hold it, your country can be a good example of peace,” Dr. Lam added.

Former ambassador and president of Nepal International Relation Council Keshav Jha said it was because of their belief in pluralistic politics that the Maoists took part in the Constituent Assembly when everybody was saying they could not win more than 40 seats in first-past-the-post election.

He urged the Maoists to continually contribute towards lasting peace so that Nepal can serve as an example to the whole world.