India on Wednesday lauded UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei for his role in the success of India's global civil nuclear deal as President Pratibha Patil presented the Indira Gandhi Prize to him.

Patil presented the 2008 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development to ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.u00a0
ElBaradei was given the prestigious award for "his impassioned opposition to the use of nuclear energy for military purposes and his steadfast espousal of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, sustained over many years".