Sahitya Akademi award-winning Tamil writer Poomani passes at 79
Distilled Policy Brief
- Poomani, a renowned Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner, passed away at the age of 79 after a prolonged illness in Chennai on June 13, 2026.
- Poomani's literary career spanned over several decades, with his fiction focusing on the lives of people in the karisal region of southern Tamil Nadu, and he received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014 for his novel Agnaadi.
- Poomani's son passed away in 2019, and despite his own illness, he continued to work on his writing, including a novel that explored the theme of caste and literature in the context of Tamil Nadu.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
With reference to the bilateral research and industrial cooperation engagements between India and Germany, consider the following statements: 1. Roundtables held with German research organizations, such as the Fraunhofer Institutes, prioritized key fields including microelectronics, power electronics, and smart manufacturing. 2. Expanding industry-academia innovation networks and collaboration in battery technologies form key components of the enhanced strategic cooperation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- [A] 1 only
- [B] 2 only
- [C] Both 1 and 2
- [D] Neither 1 nor 2
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Both statements are correct. High-level roundtables with German research institutes, including Fraunhofer Institutes, focused on microelectronics, power electronics, smart manufacturing, battery technologies, and logistics. Furthermore, the engagement emphasized strengthening industry-academia innovation networks, science and technology cooperation, and advanced manufacturing capabilities between India and Germany.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.