Author: Subhash Agrawal
Publication: Organiser.org
Date: October 25, 2015

The Sahitya Akademi awardees get many facilities which are permanent. Only 8 of the 28 writers who have announced to return the awards have sent letters in this regard to the Akademi, and only three have enclosed cheques of Rs one lakh each received by them as award money. The government should take harsh stand against such writers by initiating recovery-proceedings against them to recover award-money and other cost incurred by the Academy like publication of award-winning literature in many languages. All other honours including Padma awards should also be snatched from them as a deterrent against getting undue publicity after swallowing non-returnable benefits from Sahitya Akademi awards.

— Subhash Agrawal, RTI Activist