On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a sponsorship program to train young writers, the ‘Young, Upcoming and Versatile Writers’ (YUVA) scheme.
The scheme aims to train 75 aspiring writers under the age of 30, who are ready to present themselves globally to India and its culture and literature.
Under the Patronage Scheme, each author will be given a fixed scholarship of Rs. 50,000 per month for a period of six months.
Sharing a link on the program’s official web page, PM Modi tweeted, “This is an exciting opportunity for youngsters to use their writing skills and also contribute to India’s intellectual discourse.”
Here is an interesting opportunity for youngsters to harness their writing skills and also contribute to India's intellectual discourse. Know more… https://t.co/SNfJr7FJ0V pic.twitter.com/rKlGDeU39U
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 8, 2021
Through this scheme, the government aims to make reading and writing a profession equal to other employment options.
*The names of the selected authors will be announced on 15 August 2021, Independence Day.
*Based on patronage, selected authors will prepare drafts for the final selection under the guidance of nominated teachers.
*Winner entries will be easily prepared for publication by December 15, 2021.
*Published books may be launched on January 12, 2022, on the occasion of YUVA DIVAS or National Youth Day.
During the first three months of training, the National Book Trust (NBT) will organize a two-week ‘Authors’ online program for selected candidates.
Young writers will be trained by NBT’s expert authors and two eminent authors / teachers from the panel of authors.
Upon completion of the online program, the authors will be trained for two weeks in various online / on-site national camps organized by NBT.
And in the next three months of Phase II training, the selected candidates will be able to enhance their understanding and acquire skills through interaction in various international programs such as literary festivals, book fairs, virtual book fairs, cultural exchange programs, etc.
Also, a series of books or series written by these young authors will be published by NBT and the authors will be given 10% royalty.
Their published books will also be translated into other Indian languages to ensure the exchange of culture and literature between different states.
