New Delhi, July 6: India's national academy of letters, the Sahitya Akademi, is inviting books for its prestigious Yuva Puraskar award for 2019, from publishers and "young Indian authors of the age of 35 and below" in its recognized 24 languages.

The applicant authors should be 35 or below on January 1, 2019 and the books should be submitted along with the attested copy of date of birth certificate, the Akademi said in a statement.

The last date of applying is August 20.

More information about the submission is available online at www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in.

The Akademi had announced the names of 21 winners of its Bal Sahitya Puraskar and 21 recipients of the Yuva Puraskar 2018 in late June.

Sahitya Akademi introduced Yuva Puraskar in 2011 to encourage young writers, below 35 years of age, writing in Indian languages.

These awards are presented at an annual ceremony and comprise an amount of Rs 50,000, a copper plaque and a citation.

Established in 1954 by the Indian government, Sahitya Akademi is India's premier literary institution, promoting and preserving literature in 24 languages.



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Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.

The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.

Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.

The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.

Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.

The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.