Odisha’s youth writer Shishir Behera and senior children litterateur Birendra Samantray have been selected to get the Kendra Sahitya Akademi’s “Yuva Purskar” and “Bal Puraskar”, respectively.
The names of Behera and Samantray have figured in the lists of 22 “Baal Puraskar” and 23 “Yuva Purskar” winners announced by the Akademi on Friday.
While Behera will be conferred the coveted award for his overall contribution to the child literature, Samantray has been chosen for the youth segment award for his review-based book “Bimugdha Ucharan”. “Youth Puraskar” is given to writers under the age of 35.
In the Odia segment, Paramita Satpathy, Jayanti Rath and Kshirod Behera were jurists for the “Yuva
Puraskar and Arabind
Patnaik, Prafulla Kumar Tripathy and Dash Benhur were in the “Bal Puraskar” sectors’ committee.
The names were decided at the Akademi’s executive council meeting held under chairmanship of Akademi president Dr Chandsekhar Kambar at Agartala on Friday.
The two writers would be given a copper plaque and Rs 50,000 each as part of the award at a special programme to be held later, informed an official release.