TS Urdu Academy announces awards

Hyderabad: TS Urdu Academy on Monday announced lifetime achievement award in six different categories, each with a cash prize of Rs 50,000. Besides this, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad Award, Makhdoom Award and newly announced Mir Osman Ali Khan award will be given away to achievers. 

The categories for lifetime achievement are poetry, research & critic, fiction, education, journalism and promotion of Urdu, the latter being named after Dr Raj Bahadur Goud who died in 2011. Raj Bahadur was a doctor by profession and he remained an Urdu lover throughout his life. A renowned trade union leader, senior communist leader and standard bearer of Hindu-Muslim unity, he was the president of Anjuman Taraqi Urdu, was the founder member of Urdu model school, Urdu Arts College and Oriental Urdu College founded by Anjuman Taraqi Urdu. 

Speaking to media persons, TS Urdu Academy chairman Raheemuddin Ansari said that all the schemes of Urdu Academy would be implemented from now on. In this endeavour the awards which have been pending for the last four to five years would be given away by a grand event planned to be organised shortly. The cash reward for Makhdoom is Rs 2 lakh, for Abul Kalam Azad award it is Rs 2.25 lakh and for Mir Osman Ali khan award, it will be Rs 5 lakh, the latter will be introduced from next year. “A total of 25 awards will be given to the achievers in different categories,” he informed. Further, he said that similar to the Kul Hind Mushaira of 2016, the Urdu Academy would be organising another grand programme in 2019, marking the second term of the government. 

He said that as part of promotion of Urdu, events would be organised by the Academy in all the 31 districts, where mushaira and seminars would be held. Responding to questions over the issue of some wings which were transferred to TS Minority Finance Corporation from Urdu Academy, he said that these wings which include computer centres would be transferred back to the academy to ensure smooth running. “We will get back all the schemes which were transferred to TSMFC. We shall be speaking to Chief Minister about the future of those working on contract basis in Computer Centres,” he added.