President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday extended his congratulations to children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, who has been awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to abolish child labour in the country.
"The prize should be seen as recognition of the contributions of India's vibrant civil society in addressing complex social problems such as child labour and the important role played by them in collaboration with the government in the nation's efforts to eliminate all forms of child labour in the country," President Mukherjee said.
Earlier in the day, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Satyarthi and Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzai had jointly been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
"Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Mahatma Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children's rights," the committee said.
Pointing out that the figure for child labourers had come down by 78 million globally, the committee also said that the fight for the right of children led to fraternity between nations.
"The struggle against suppression and for the rights of children and adolescents contributes to the realization of the "fraternity between nations" that Alfred Nobel mentions in his will as one of the criteria for the Nobel Peace Prize," it stated.