Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced the institution of a new annual state-sponsored literary award, named 'Semmozhi Illakiya Virudhu' (Classical Language Literary Award), aimed at recognizing outstanding works in major Indian languages other than Hindi. The award, carrying a cash prize of ₹5 lakh for each language, will initially be presented for literary excellence in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali, and Marathi. The announcement was made at the valedictory event of the Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF-2026) on Sunday, January 18, 2026. During his address, CM Stalin strongly criticized the Central government, alleging political intervention by the Union Culture Ministry led to the recent cancellation of the Sahitya Akademi awards announcement. He emphasized that such political interference in art and literary awards is dangerous and detrimental to creative freedom. The Chief Minister highlighted that this new initiative by the Tamil Nadu government serves as a constructive response to the prevailing uncertainty and appeals from writers and literary bodies seeking an appropriate counter-action plan. To ensure the quality of literary works and transparency in the selection process, independent committees comprising reputed writers will be established for each language. This move underscores the Tamil Nadu government's commitment to promoting and preserving linguistic diversity and literary arts across the nation.