Context:
Vinod Kumar Shukla is selected for 59th Jnanpith Award.
Jnanpith Award:
- India’s highest literary honor, recognizing outstanding contributions to Indian literature.
- Instituted in – 1961 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust, 1st awarded in 1965.
- Bharatiya Jnanpith, established in 1944, is one of the premier literary organizations.
- Eligibility – Restricted to Indian citizens, writing in any of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
- From 2013, works in English language were also considered
- Award Components – Includes a cash prize of ₹11 lakh, a citation, and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati (Vagdevi).
- A language is not eligible for the award for 2 years after it has been awarded.
- Thus, 2 languages are out of reckoning for the award every year
- Notable Firsts –
- 1st recipient – G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam) for his collection of poems ‘Odakkuzhal’.
- 1st woman recipient – Ashapoorna Devi (Bengali) for her novel Pratham Pratishruti.
Source: ET
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. The National School of Drama was set up by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1959.
2. The highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi on a writer is by electing him its Fellow.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil service Exam – 2009 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c)