Edwin J F D'Souza appointed Member of General Council of Sahitya Akademi

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (GA)

Mangalore, Nov 2: Eminent Konkani writer Rtn Edwin JF DSouza (the present Executive Director of Institute of Konkani, St Aloysius (Autonomous) College and Editor of "Amar Konkani" a research journal) is appointed a Member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters), New Delhi along with playwright and president of Goa Konkani Sahitya Academy Pundalik Naik from Goa, for a term of 5 years starting January 1, 2008.

The supreme authority of the Akademi vests with the General Council which consists of 97 members and the Executive Board which consists of 25 members. The General Council was reconstituted in the year 2003 and its tenure ends in December this year.  Prof Gopi Chand Narang is currently the president of Sahitya Akademi. The general policy of the Sahitya Akademi and the basic principles of programme are laid down by the General Council and the executive board which are implemented under the direct supervision of an Executive Board.

There is an Advisory Board for each language consisting of eminent writers and scholars on whose advice the specific programme in the language concerned is formulated and implemented.  The tenure of the General Council is five years. It elects the president, the vice-president, the members of the executive board representing languages and one representative of the General Council on the Finance Committee of the Sahitya Akademi. Advisory Boards for various languages are appointed by the executive board. The secretary is the principal executive officer of the Akademi.