Vivekananda Kendra is a Hindu nationalist social service and nation-building organisation, claiming to represent the heritage of Swami Vivekananda. the organisation is based near the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari. The organisation was founded on 7 January 1972 by Eknath Ranade, a senior pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Its current president is A. Balakrishnan. The organisation has constructed a solid waste management and bio-gas plant in Mahabalipuram. Vivekananda Kendra received the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015 for its contribution to rural development, education and development of natural resources.