Malayalam literary stalwart and Jnanpith laureate MT Vasudevan Nair has been selected for the first 'Kerala Jyothi' award instituted by the state government on the lines of the Padma awards to honour individuals who have made priceless contributions to society. Kerala Jyothi is the highest civilian award instituted by the state government.

Three persons - Malayalam megastar Mammootty, Delhi-based Malayalam playwright Omcheri NN Pillai and former civil servant and social worker T Madhava Menon - have been selected for the first 'Kerala Prabha' awards, according to a statement issued by the government on Monday. ‘Kerala Prabha’ is the second-highest honour bestowed by the government.

Further, six persons - amphibian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju (Dr SD Biju), magician Gopinath Muthukad, sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly, scientist MP Parameswaran and singer Vijayalakshmi - have been selected for the first 'Kerala Sree' awards, said the statement. ‘Kerala Sree’ is the third highest civilian award.

The announcement of the first ever ‘Kerala Puraskarangal’ was made in a statement issued on the eve of Kerala Piravi, also known as Kerala Day.

Last year, the Kerala government had decided to institute the highest state-level awards, on the model of Padma awards, to honour the contributions of people from several spheres. It was decided to institute awards in three categories -- 'Kerala Jyothi', 'Kerala Prabha' and 'Kerala Sree'. The government had also decided to announce the awards on the occasion of Kerala Piravi. The jury that selected the awardees was headed by filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and included retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer TKA Nair and writer Khadija Mumtaz.