Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Madhya Pradesh Awards Face Years-Long Delays, Official Disagrees
Madhya Pradesh gives awards to people who do important work in areas such as writing, music, sports and social service.
A report says many of these awards have not been announced on time.
Some awards have reportedly been waiting since 2021, 2023 or 2024.
One social-service award was last given for the 2024-25 cycle.
An award named after Indira Gandhi has reportedly not been announced for more than ten years.
Urdu literary awards have also been delayed, with the latest applications invited by February 2, 2026, but winners not yet announced.
Sports awards are often announced together for several years instead of each year.
However, a senior Culture Department official says the delays are routine and that the government has cleared much of the backlog.
Several Madhya Pradesh awards for literature, arts, sports and social service remain unannounced or unconferred for years.
The Shikhar, Kabir, Sharad Joshi and Maithili Sharan Gupta honours have reportedly been pending since 2023.
The Rashtriya Iqbal Samman has not been announced since 2021, while Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar honours are pending since 2024.
The All India Indira Gandhi Award has remained unannounced for more than a decade, according to the report.
Culture Department official Sheo Shekhar Shukla said there is no delay and that much of the backlog was cleared over the past two years.
- Who
- The Madhya Pradesh Culture Department, Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy and award recipients are involved; Culture Department ACS Sheo Shekhar Shukla provided the official response.
- What
- Many state and national awards for literature, arts, sports and social service have reportedly been delayed or remain unannounced.
- When
- Delays range from awards pending since 2021 or 2023 to honours last announced in 2024; some sports awards have lagged by about two years.
- Where
- Madhya Pradesh, including awards administered from Bhopal and the Tansen Festival in Gwalior.
- Why
- The report attributes the situation to delayed announcement schedules, while the Culture Department says the work is routine and that backlog has been cleared.
Report’s findings
Government response
Whether awards are delayed
Report’s findings
The report says awards in literature, arts, sports and social service are frequently announced or conferred years late.
Government response
Sheo Shekhar Shukla said there is no delay and described the process as routine work.
Backlog of honours
Report’s findings
The report lists several pending awards, including honours dating back to 2021, 2023 and 2024, and says sports awards often lag by two years.
Government response
The Culture Department says it cleared many years of backlog during the past two years.
Urdu literary awards
Report’s findings
The report says the Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy’s awards have been delayed by two years and that the latest winners were still unannounced.
Government response
No specific response from the academy or department to the Urdu-award delay is included in the article.
- Departments involved
- The Culture Department and Sports and Youth Welfare Department administer most of the awards.
- Awards pending since 2023
- Shikhar Samman, Rashtriya Kabir Samman, Rashtriya Sharad Joshi Samman and Rashtriya Maithili Sharan Gupta Samman.
- Older pending honour
- The Rashtriya Iqbal Samman was last announced in 2021.
- Social-service award
- The Rashtriya Mahatma Gandhi Award carries a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh and was last conferred for 2024-25.
- Urdu awards
- The Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy has six all-India awards worth Rs 51,000 each and 13 regional awards worth Rs 31,000 each.
- Latest Urdu applications
- Applications for the 2025 awards were invited until February 2, 2026; the awards had not yet been announced.
- Official response
- ACS Sheo Shekhar Shukla said there is no delay and that many years of backlog were cleared over the previous two years.