Lok Sabha Question No. 3983 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Schemes for Young Writers and Poets
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3983

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2022

## SCHEMES FOR YOUNG WRITERS AND POETS 3983. SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- a) whether the Government has taken any steps for the promotion of literature in Indian languages including Gujarati;
- b) if so, the details thereof;
- c) the schemes for young writers, poets in Indian languages; and
- d) the number of youths benefited therefrom, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF CULTURE, TOURISM & DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION

## (G.KISHAN REDDY)

- a&b)  Yes  Madam.  The  Government  of  India  has  taken  a  number  of  steps  for  the promotion of literature in Indian languages including Gujrati.

Sahitya  Akademi  (an  autonomous  organization  under  M/o  Culture)  promotes literature  and  literary  activities  in  24  Indian  languages.  The  Akademi  publishes large volumes of material and confers a number of awards and grants. Every year, the Akademi holds at least 30 seminars, 200 literary gatherings, workshops and lectures, folklore, programmes for women writers, Gramalok in the rural areas. It has published over 7000 books in 24 languages.

For the promotion of Gujarati Literature, there is an Advisory Board of eminent writers and scholars in Gujarati to orient the Akademi on publications, translations and literary programmes. As per the directions of the Advisory Board members, Sahitya  Akademi  organizes  literary  progammes  in  Gujarati.  The  Akademi  brings out significant publications of Indian languages and translates them into Gujrati language and vice-versa.

- c) In 2011, the Government of India had constituted Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for  24  Indian  languages.  The  Akademi  also  conducts  Young  Writers'  Meet.  It organises programmes titled YuvaSahiti and Avishkar to encourage young writers writing  in  different  Indian  languages.  It  also  provides  travel  grant  to  young writers  (age  40  or  below)  under  which  a  writer  is  offered  to  take  a  travel  to  a State other than his/her own to get acquainted with literary ambience of another language. Besides this, Akademi constituted a publication scheme titled Navodaya which undertakes publication of the first literary work of art of the writer.
- d) The  Akademi  invites  writers-scholars  on  the  basis  of  their  contribution  to  their respective languages instead of states they belong to. The language wise list of programmes organizedduring the last 3 years particularly for the young writers is attached as Annexure-I.

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## ANNEXURE-I

| Title of the Programme Series                             | Language                                                                                                                                           | No. of Programmes                                           | No. of Participants                                               |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Travel Grant                                              | Dogri Nepali Gujarati Konkani                                                                                                                      | 01 01 01 01                                                 | 01 01 01 01                                                       |
| Books published under Navodaya Scheme YuvaSahitiProgramme | Marathi Maithili English Nepali Assamese Odia Santali Punjabi                                                                                      | 01 01 04 01 01 02 01 01 02 01 03 05 03 03 02 01 03 03 01 05 | 01 01 04 01 01 02 01 01 02 10 10 25 21 22 25 06 38 41 07 22 13 14 |
|                                                           | Hindi Dogri Maithili Sanskrit Nepali Rajasthani Gujarati Konkani Marathi Sindhi Multilingual Punjabi Hindi Tamil Kannada Malayalam Telugu Assamese | 01 02 01 03 01                                              | 05 14 05 19 11 09 19 19                                           |
| MulakatProgramme                                          | Bodo Bengali Manipuri Odia Santali Gujarati                                                                                                        | 04 02 02 04 04 02 01 08                                     | 10 07 39                                                          |
|                                                           | Assamese Bodo Bengali Manipuri                                                                                                                     | 04 05 02                                                    | 20 27                                                             |
|                                                           | Odia                                                                                                                                               |                                                             | 22                                                                |
|                                                           |                                                                                                                                                    | 04                                                          | 10                                                                |

| AkademiYuvaPuraskar               |                                 |          |          |
|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|----------|----------|
| Young Writers' Meet               | Rajasthani North Regional Board | 01 02    | 11 14    |
| Multilingual Poets'/Writers' Meet |                                 | 04       | 36       |
| YuvaLekhakSammelan                | Hindi Kashmiri                  | 02 01    | 14 09    |
| Nari Chetna                       | Hindi Punjabi                   | 02 01    | 07 05    |
| Literary Forum/Sahitya Munch      | Telugu Hindi &Punjabi Urdu      | 01 04 03 | 05 17 09 |
| Total                             | 119                             |          | 706      |