Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 18 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday announced the launch of a new national-level literary honour by the state government, while strongly criticising political interference in the functioning of the Sahitya Akademi.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the Chennai International Book Fair 2026 held at Kalaivanar Arangam, the Chief Minister said that recent developments surrounding the Sahitya Akademi awards had caused 'deep concern' among writers and cultural organisations across the country.

Stalin referred to reports that the announcement of the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Awards was cancelled due to alleged intervention by the Union Ministry of Culture.

'Political interference in literary and artistic awards is dangerous,' he said, adding that freedom of thought and creative independence must be protected at all costs.

He noted that several writers and literary bodies had urged the Tamil Nadu government to respond constructively to the situation, calling it a 'need of the hour'.

Responding to these concerns, the Chief Minister announced the institution of a new annual national literary award by the Tamil Nadu government.

The award, to be known as the 'Semmozhi National Literary Award,' will be presented every year to outstanding literary works published in select Indian languages. In the first phase, the award will be given for exceptional works in: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali, and Marathi.

Each award will carry a cash prize of 5 lakh.

Stalin said that independent juries comprising eminent writers and award-winning authors would be constituted separately for each language to ensure transparency, literary merit, and credibility in the selection process.

'The Tamil Nadu government will proudly take on the role of patron for Indian literature,' he added.

The Chief Minister reiterated that literature has no borders and described translation and copyright exchange as cultural handshakes between languages. He highlighted Tamil Nadu's efforts to promote translation of Tamil classics and modern works into global languages, while also bringing world literature to Tamil readers through state-supported translation initiatives.

Stalin said the participation of publishers from over 100 countries in the Chennai International Book Fair demonstrated the city's growing stature as a global knowledge and publishing hub. He added that Tamil Nadu was not just an investment destination, but also a state deeply rooted in intellectual and cultural exchange.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence that future editions of the Chennai International Book Fair would attract even greater global attention and reaffirmed the state's commitment to building libraries as 'temples of knowledge'.

'Language is not a wall that divides, but a bridge that connects the world,' he said. (ANI)