Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar Scheme for writing original book in Hindi

What is the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar for writing original books in Hindi?

Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar is an incentive award run by the Department of Official Language (Rajbhasha Vibhag) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. According to the Department of Official Language, the award is designed to encourage the writing of original, knowledge-based books in Hindi and to promote the use of Hindi as the official language in technical and specialised fields.

The distinguishing idea of the scheme is that it rewards original writing in Hindi, not translation. India has long had more technical material available in English than in Hindi, and the award is intended to build a body of original Hindi literature in domains such as science, technology, law and the arts. From the 2025-26 cycle the Department of Official Language restructured its author awards under the "Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar" name, alongside a separate translation-focused award for books rendered into Hindi.

The scheme is one of several incentive schemes of the Department of Official Language. It should not be confused with the Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar, which rewards ministries, banks, public-sector undertakings and other offices for implementing the Official Language Policy, the Gaurav Puraskar is for individual authors.

How much prize money does the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar give?

According to the Department of Official Language notification, the scheme gives three prizes in each subject category, in a range of roughly Rs 1.5 lakh at the top down to about Rs 40,000. The exact amount attached to the first, second and third prize in each category is fixed in the official notification for that award year, and the number of categories can change between cycles.

Because the precise rank-wise figures are set year to year, an intending author should rely on the current advertisement published on rajbhasha.gov.in rather than on any earlier year's amounts. The winners receive the cash prize along with a certificate and citation from the Department of Official Language.

Who is eligible for the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar?

You can apply if:

• You are a citizen of India.
• You are the author of an original book written in Hindi in one of the eligible subject areas.
• The book was published within the qualifying period named in the notification (a specific calendar year window).
• You submit the entry in the prescribed proforma with the required copies of the book.

Authors whose mother tongue is not Hindi are also eligible — the award deliberately encourages original Hindi writing by speakers of other Indian languages.

You cannot apply if:

• The book is a translation rather than an original work. Translated books are handled under a separate translation award, not this original-writing scheme.
• The book falls outside the eligible subjects or outside the publication window set in the notification.
• You are not an Indian citizen.

Because eligibility conditions such as minimum page length, permitted subjects and the publication window are fixed afresh in each year's notification, confirm them against the current advertisement before entering.

What subjects and books qualify?

The award covers original Hindi books on knowledge subjects. Based on the Department of Official Language notification, eligible domains have included engineering, electronics and computer science; law, police research and forensic science; culture, region, arts and heritage; and other allied knowledge subjects. The intent is to reward substantial, subject-matter books rather than light or purely literary works, and the notification typically sets a minimum length for the book.

What documents are required for the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar?

How to apply for the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar

1. Open the Department of Official Language website at rajbhasha.gov.in and go to the Incentive Schemes section to find the current Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar notification.
2. Download the notification and the prescribed proforma, and read the eligible subjects, minimum page requirement, publication window and last date for that year.
3. Fill in the proforma with the author's details and the book's details: title, subject category, publisher and year of publication.
4. Attach the required copies of the book (three copies) and your proof of citizenship.
5. Submit the complete entry to the Department of Official Language at the address and by the last date given in the notification.

Because this is a periodic award with a fixed annual window, applications are accepted only while the current advertisement is open.

Where to get help

The scheme is administered by the Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs. There is no dedicated public helpline number published for the award; queries and completed entries should be directed to the Department through the contact details in the official notification on rajbhasha.gov.in. Always rely on the current-year advertisement for exact prize amounts, eligible subjects and the last date, as these are set fresh each cycle.

How to check your application status

Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar is not a portal-based scheme with an online tracking dashboard, so status checking works differently from a typical benefit or subsidy scheme.

1. There is no login or application-ID tracking system. Entries are submitted physically (or as specified in that year's notification) to the Department of Official Language, and there is no rajbhasha.gov.in account where an author can log in to see "under review", "shortlisted" or "rejected" status.
2. Watch for the results announcement on rajbhasha.gov.in. The Department publishes the list of selected authors and prize winners for each award year on its website, usually under the same Incentive Schemes or News section where the original notification appeared. This announcement is the primary way an applicant learns the outcome.
3. Check the official Hindi Diwas or Rajbhasha function announcements. Winners are typically felicitated around Hindi Diwas (September) or at a formal Rajbhasha function, and the Department's press notes and news updates around that period usually name the awardees.
4. Follow up in writing if the results window has passed and nothing is published. Since there is no helpline number dedicated to this award, an applicant who has not seen their name in the results and wants to confirm the status of their entry should write to the Department of Official Language through the contact address given in that year's notification, quoting the book title, subject category and the date the entry was submitted.
5. Do not assume rejection from silence alone. Because only three prizes are given per category, most entrants in a given year will simply not be selected; this is different from an entry being rejected for being incomplete or ineligible. The notification and results list are the only authoritative sources on which outcome applies to a given entry.

Because this is an annual honour-based award rather than a claim-based benefit, there is no equivalent of a "disbursal status" or "payment tracking" step; once an author is named a winner, the Department separately coordinates the certificate, citation and prize amount.

Common reasons for rejection

Entries for the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar are turned away or left out of consideration for a narrower set of reasons than a typical subsidy scheme, since the core evaluation is on the book itself rather than a financial eligibility check.

• The book is a translation, not an original work. This is the single most common disqualifying reason. The Gaurav Puraskar is reserved for books originally conceived and written in Hindi; a Hindi rendering of a book originally written in English or another language belongs under the Department's separate translation award, not this one. Fix: confirm before entering that the book was drafted and composed in Hindi from the outset, not translated from another source text.
• The book was published outside the qualifying period. Each year's notification specifies a publication window (a defined range of calendar years), and books published before or after that window are not considered for that cycle. Fix: check the publication date printed in the book against the window stated in the current notification, and if the book falls outside it, hold the entry for the year in which it does qualify.
• The subject does not fall into an eligible category. The award is meant for knowledge-based, technical or subject-matter books in areas such as engineering, electronics and computer science, law, police and forensic science, or culture and heritage, as listed in that year's notification; general literary fiction, poetry or subjects outside the notified list are not considered. Fix: match the book's subject against the exact category list in the current notification before submitting, and select the correct category on the proforma.
• The proforma or supporting copies are incomplete. Missing author details, an incomplete proforma, or fewer than the required number of book copies can keep an entry out of consideration procedurally, separate from any judgment on the book's merit. Fix: cross-check the submission against the checklist in the notification (proforma fully filled, required number of book copies enclosed, proof of citizenship attached) before sending it in.
• The entry misses the last date in the notification. Because this is a fixed annual window, entries reaching the Department after the closing date are not accepted for that cycle regardless of the book's quality. Fix: submit well ahead of the deadline stated in the notification rather than close to it, since postal or courier delays for physical submissions are not the Department's responsibility.
• The applicant is not an Indian citizen. The award is restricted to citizens of India; foreign nationals writing in Hindi, however accomplished the book, are not eligible under this scheme. Fix: this is a fixed eligibility bar with no workaround; authors who are not Indian citizens cannot enter this particular award.

Because the Department selects only three prize-winning books per subject category each year, an entry that meets every condition above may still not win simply due to the limited number of prizes; that outcome is a matter of competitive selection, not a procedural rejection.