CM Dhami participated in the ‘Uttarakhand Long-Term Literature Service Honour Ceremony’ organized at IRDT Auditorium.

Sept 2025 : CM Dhami honoured litterateurs Shailesh Matiyani, Girish Tiwari, Sherda Anpadh, Hira Singh Rana, Somwari Lal Uniyal and Shri Atul Sharma with the Uttarakhand Long-Term Literature Service Honour. Under the Long-Term Literature Service Honour, litterateurs who have made excellent contributions in the field of literature are awarded a prize amount of ₹5 lakh. Through ‘Uttarakhand Sahitya Gaurav Samman’, ‘Sahitya Bhushan’, and ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards, the state government is encouraging litterateurs. The government will establish two literature villages and develop Uttarakhand as a literary tourism centre. Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the state government is working concretely to preserve, compile and restore the scattered literature of the state through the Uttarakhand Language Institute. The government is also making continuous efforts for the preservation of local languages and dialects, so that future generations remain connected to their rich linguistic heritage. The Chief Minister said that the literary and cultural heritage handed over to us by our ancestors is not only the treasure of our past, but also the foundation of our identity and civilization. Therefore, it is our moral responsibility to preserve them.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the ‘Uttarakhand Long-Term Literature Service Honour Ceremony’ organized at IRDT Auditorium, Survey Chowk, Dehradun on the occasion of Hindi Day and addressed litterateurs, poets and language lovers who came from across the state and the country. Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami posthumously honoured litterateurs Shailesh Matiyani, Girish Tiwari, Sherda Anpadh, and Hira Singh Rana with the Uttarakhand Long-Term Literature Service Honour 2025. Along with this, the Chief Minister also honoured Shri Somwari Lal Uniyal and Shri Atul Sharma with the Uttarakhand Long-Term Literature Service Honour. On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that it is his good fortune that he is getting the opportunity to honour great litterateurs who enriched the Hindi language with the ‘Long-Term Literature Service Honour’. He extended greetings to all those literary seekers who, with their creativity, are performing the important task of taking cultural and literary heritage to the new generation. The Chief Minister, describing Hindi as the expression of the soul and literature as the mirror of society, said that litterateurs are the true guides of the sensitivities of society. He said that literature gives new direction to society and also provides inspiration for positive change. Highlighting the role of poets and creators in India’s freedom movement, he said that creativity has also been the fundamental basis of our scriptures and traditions.

In his address, Chief Minister Dhami, mentioning the rich literary tradition of Uttarakhand, reverentially remembered creators like Sumitranandan Pant, Mahadevi Verma, Shivani, Shailesh Matiyani, Girda, Sher Da ‘Anpadh’, and ‘Hirda’, who made Uttarakhand’s life, struggles and culture alive in their creations. He said that among contemporary creators, litterateurs like Atul Sharma, Prasoon Joshi, and Uniyal ji are carrying this tradition forward. The Chief Minister said that the state government is working with full commitment for the preservation and promotion of literature and culture. He informed that continuous efforts are being made through the Uttarakhand Language Institute for the development of Hindi and other Indian languages. Through the ‘Uttarakhand Sahitya Gaurav Samman’, ‘Sahitya Bhushan’, and ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards, litterateurs are being honoured, and creative writing competitions are being organized for the new generation to encourage them.

In the ceremony, the Chief Minister announced that under the “Long-Term Literature Service Honour”, a prize amount of ₹5 lakh is being given to litterateurs who have made excellent contributions in the field of literature. Along with this, he also informed that the government is establishing two literature villages, where modern facilities will be made available for litterateurs. This will be an important progress in the direction of developing Uttarakhand as a literary tourism centre. The Chief Minister said that we are organizing creative writing competitions for students from class 6 to degree and university levels, through which more than 100 young creators have also been awarded. On the occasion of Hindi Day, we also honoured 176 students, including meritorious students who obtained the highest marks in Hindi in the state’s High School and Intermediate examinations, as well as those who secured top positions in various language competitions. In the past two years, our government has also provided grants to 62 litterateurs for the publication of their books. This year too, we have made a special budget provision of ₹25 lakh to promote book publication.

In his address, Chief Minister Dhami said that Indian literature has had a global identity for centuries due to its intellectual richness, but unfortunately many literary heritages remained neglected in the past. Now, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the cultural and literary identity of the country is getting a new direction and respect. Inspired by this, the state government is also making continuous efforts for the preservation of local languages and dialects. At the end of his address, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that the writings of litterateurs will not only guide the present, but will also play an important role in establishing Hindi as a major language of the world. He called upon all litterateurs, poets, and attendees to enrich the literary and cultural heritage of Uttarakhand and India even more through their creativity.

In the programme, Cabinet Minister Shri Subodh Uniyal, MLA Shri Khajan Das, Secretary Shri Neeraj Khairwal, Director of Language Institute Smt. Jaswinder Kaur, and many distinguished guests, academicians, litterateurs, students and culture lovers of the state were present.

Department of Information and Public Relations