Eminent Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla was on Saturday( 22 March) named the recipient of the 59th Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honour. He will be the first writer from Chhattisgarh to receive the award.

• The 88-year-old short story writer, poet and essayist, considered one of the greatest contemporary writers in the language, is the 12th Hindi writer to receive the award.
• The award carries with it a cash reward of Rs 11 lakh, a bronze statue of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, and a citation.
• The decision was made during the meeting of the Jnanpith Selection Committee, chaired by eminent storyteller and Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Ray.