The leading cooperative organization in the fertilizer sector, the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), has announced the names of the recipients of the *Shri Lal Shukla Smriti IFFCO Literary Award 2024* and the *First Shri Lal Shukla Smriti IFFCO Young Literary Award. The award for literary work goes to **Mr. Chandrakishore Jaiswal, and the young literary award is given to **Ms. Renu Yadav. The selection of the awardees was made by a jury chaired by senior writer **Mr. Asghar Wajahat. Other members of this year’s selection committee were **Dr. Anamika, **Mr. Priyadarshan, **Mr. Yatindra Mishra, **Mr. Utkarsh Shukla, and **Dr. Nalin Vikas*.
*Mr. Chandrakishore Jaiswal* was born on *February 15, 1940, in Bihari Ganj, Madhepura district, Bihar. He completed his post-graduate education in economics from Patna University, Patna, and after a long teaching career, he retired as a professor from Bhagalpur College of Engineering, Bhagalpur. Some of his notable works include novels like *”Gawah Gairhazir”*, *”Jeebach ka Beta Buddh”*, *”Shirshak”*, *”Chiranjeev”*, *”Maa”*, and *”Dah”*, among others. He has also penned numerous stories, plays, and one-act plays. Mr. Jaiswal has been honored with several awards, including the **Ramvriksha Benipuri Award, the **Banarsi Prasad Bhojpuri Award, and the **Karpuri Thakur Award*, among others.
His novel *”Gawah Gairhazir”* was adapted into the film *”Rui ka Bojh”* by the National Film Development Corporation, and his story *”Hingwa Ghat Mein Paani Re”* was adapted into a film by Doordarshan. *”Rui ka Bojh”* was selected for the National Film Festival Panorama (1998) and was showcased at several international film festivals.
*Ms. Renu Yadav* was born on *September 16, 1984, in Gorakhpur. She holds an **M.A., **M.Phil., **Ph.D., and has cleared the **UGC-NET. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Indian Languages and Literature (Hindi) at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida. Her major works include *”Mahadevi Verma ke Kavya Mein Vedna ka Manovishleshan”* (a critical book), *”Main Mukt Hoon”* (a poetry collection), and *”Sakshatkaron ke Aaine Mein – Sudha Om Dhingra”* (an edited book). Ms. Yadav’s research papers, stories, and poems, centered on women’s issues, have been published in various journals. She has been honored with the *”Srijan Shri” Award** and the *”Virangana Savitribai Phule National Fellowship Award”*.
The *Shri Lal Shukla Smriti IFFCO Literary Award, initiated in 2011 in memory of the eminent writer Shri Lal Shukla, is awarded annually to a Hindi writer whose work primarily depicts rural and agricultural life. Previous recipients of the award include Vidyasagar Nautiyal, Shekhar Joshi, Sanjeev, Mithileshwar, and others. The award comprises a trophy, a citation, and a cheque of **11 lakh rupees*.
