<Tr> <Th> Country </Th> <Td> India </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Currently held by </Th> <Td> Mahabaleshwar Sail </Td> </Tr> <P> The Saraswati Samman (Hindi: सरस्वती सम्मान) is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any 22 Indian language listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India . It is named after an Indian goddess of learning and is considered to be among the highest literary awards in India . </P> <P> The Saraswati Samman was instituted in 1991 by the K.K. Birla Foundation . It consists of Rs 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque . Candidates are selected from literary works published in the previous ten years by a panel that included scholars and former award winners . The inaugural award was given to Harivanshrai' Bachchan' for his four volume autobiography, Kya Bhooloon Kya Yaad Karoon, Needa Ka Nirman Phir, Basere Se Door and Dashdwar se Sopan Tak . </P>

Saraswati samman is given annually for outstanding contribution to