First instalment of Rs 50K disbursed to 11 Dalit writers
The distribution event took place at the Directorate of Adi Dravidar Welfare in the city with Minister M Mathiventhan presiding over the function.
TN Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Dept
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department on Friday disbursed grants to 11 writers from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under its special literary assistance scheme. The initiative aims to promote the publication of literary works from marginalised voices in Tamil.
The distribution event took place at the Directorate of Adi Dravidar Welfare in the city with Minister M Mathiventhan presiding over the function.
“This is not just financial assistance but the government’s encouragement for literary voices from marginalised communities. It will help in the documentation and publication of our social and cultural identity,” he said during the event.
The writers were selected after a State-wide call for applications by the TN Adi Dravidar and Tribal Literary Development Organisation. Each recipient will receive Rs 50,000 as the first instalment with the remaining Rs 50,000 to be released upon publication of their work.
Introduced in 2018-19, the grant began with a Rs 40,000 prize per writer, aimed at promoting Tamil literary works by Dalit and tribal authors funded by a Rs 50 lakh corpus. In 2023, the state raised the award to Rs 1 lakh per writer.
Senior officials including principal secretary K Lakshmi Priya, commissioner T Anand, and director of tribal welfare S Anbarasu, were present.
