Chandigarh August 6:Annual Shiromani Sahit Awards would be presented to the selected personalities by the Chief Minister Punjab Mr. Parkash Singh Badal in a function to be held at Law Auditorium Chandigarh at 4:00 PM on August 8, 2008. The Education Minister Punjab Dr, Upinderjit Kaur would preside over the function.
Disclosing this here today Mrs. Balbir Kaur, Director Languages Department Punjab said that 28 literary personalities from different fields would be honoured for various 14 Shiromani Awards for the years 2007 and 2008. The name of Punjabi Sahit Shiromani Award has been rechristened as Punjabi Sahit Rattan. She added that the prize money for the Punjabi Sahit Rattan Award has been doubled from Rs. 2.5 lac to Rs. 5 lac and for other Shiromani awards, it has been increased from Rs. 1 lac to 2.5 lac.
She added that the Punjabi Sahit Rattan Awards for the years 2007 and 2008 would be presented to novelist Mr. Jaswant Singh Kanwal and writer Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana respectively.
Similarly Mr. Kartar Singh Suri and Mr. Pargat Singh Sidhu would be honoured for Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkar Award for the year 2007 and 2008, Dr. Chander Trikha (2007) and Mrs. Virender Sandhu (2008) for Shiromani Hindi Sahitkar Award, Mr. Prem Kumar (2007) and Dr. Nashir Naqvi (2008) for Shiromani Urdu Sahitkar Award, Dr. Brij Bihari Choube (2007) and Dr. Ravinder Kaur (2008) for Shiromani Sanskrit Sahitkar Award.
She added that Dr. Harinder Singh Mehboob and Mrs. Sukhwinder Amrit would be honoured for Shiromani Punjabi Kavi (poet) Award for the years 2007 and 2008 respectively, Dr. Karnail Singh Thind (2007) and Dr. Jaswinder Singh (2008) for Shiromani Punjabi Gyan Sahitkar/Alochik Award, Mr. Parminder Sodhi (Japan) (2007) and Janab Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan) (2008) for Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkar (overseas) Award, Mr. S Saki (2007) and Mr. Chotu Ram Moudgil (2008) for Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkar Award (out of Punjab), Dr. Sukhwant Kaur Mann (2007) and Mr. Jasbir Singh Jass (2008) for Shiromani Punjabi Bal Sahitkar Lekhak (writer) Award, Mr. G.S. Sidhu Damdami (Punjabi Tribune) (2007) and Mr. Paramjit Singh Sasan (Ajit) (2008) for Shiromani Punjabi Patarkar Award, Bhai Banta Singh Ragi (2007) and Bhai Gursharn Singh Ragi (2008) for Shiromani Ragi/Dhadi/Kavishar Award, Mrs. Gurmeet Bawa (2007) and Mr. G.S.Sachdev (flute) (2008) for Shiromani Punjabi Singer/Musician Award, Mr. Amrik Gill and Mr. Jatinder Brar would be honoured for Shiromani Punjabi TV/Radio/Theater/Natak/Actor/Producer/Writer Award for the years 2007 and 2008 respectively.