Veteran Communist leader N. Sankaraiah, who turned 100 earlier this month , will receive the first Thagaisal Thamizhar Award that was instituted by the DMK government this year to honour a distinguished Tamil personality.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will hand over the award to Mr. Sankaraiah during the Independence Day celebrations in Chennai next month. A committee headed by the Chief Minister that met in the Secretariat selected the veteran CPI (M) leader for receiving the award this year, an official release said on Wednesday.
“The meeting decided to honour veteran Marxist Communist leader Mr. N. Sankaraiah, who entered public life at a young age, led as a student leader, turned into a freedom fighter and eventually served the people by being elected to the State Legislative Assembly,” it said.
The Thagaisal Thamizhar Award carries a cash prize of ₹10 lakh and a citation.