President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the 47th Jnanpith Award for the year 2011 on Dr. Pratibha Ray at a function at the Balyogi Auditorium here on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee called upon schools and colleges to encourage the reading of the abundant prose and verse that has been published in India's vernacular languages.
He added that reading vernacular literature would educate our young about distant regions that they may not be aware of - and make them more sensitive to the social, religious and cultural diversities of our country.
