The government intends to institute a national award to be named after Mother Teresa.

According to indications, it will be one of the biggest in terms of prize money and will be presented annually to an individual doing work similar to what Mother Teresa did.

An announcement is expected to coincide with the beatification of the missionary in the Vatican on October 19.

Delhi Archbishop Vincent Concessao recently said that the Catholic Bishops Conference of India had suggested that such an award be given.

A CBCI delegation that called on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on August 22 had made nine suggestions for marking the beatification.

One of them was that of the award while another was to set up a museum.

The winner is likely to be selected by a committee comprising the CBCI president and another Christian representative, chairman of the National Minorities Commission and two government nominees.

The Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Terasa, has reportedly expressed reluctance to be part of the committee.

Initially, the award will be presented only to Indians. In due course, the government will consider making it an international prize on the lines of the Gandhi Peace Prize, government sources said.

The Gandhi Peace Prize is the biggest Indian award with a cash component amounting to Rs 1 crore.

he CBCI has suggested that the cash component of the Mother Teresa award be capped at Rs 25 lakh.