♦ Progressive writer Penugonda Lakshminarayana of Andhra Pradesh bagged the prestigious Kendra Sahitya Academy award for 2024. He bagged the award for his book -Deepika Abhyudaya Vysa Samputi under literary criticism category. He was the lone Telugu literary personality to get the award in the current edition.

♦ Lakshminarayana served as president of progressive writers' association (Abhyudaya Rachaithala Sangham-Arasam) at district, state and also national level. He started his literary career with Samidha poem way back in 1972.

♦ Sahitya Academy announced annual awards in 21 Indian languages on 18 December 2024. Award winners would get Rs.1 lakh cash reward and a memento. 

♦ Academy would present the awards at a function to be held in New Delhi on 8 March 2025.  

♦ Curiously, Rachapalem Chandrasekhar Reddy himself won the Sahitya Academy award in 2014 and served as Arasam state president in the past prior to Penugonda Lakshminarayana.