Chennai, Aug 1 : Gandhian and veteran Congress leader of Tamil Nadu Kumari Ananthan will be honoured with the 'Thagaisal Tamilar' award.

Kumari Ananthan (91) is a former Member of Parliament and served as the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President.

He was also a close associate of the Late K. Kamaraj, the iconic Congress leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

The veteran Gandhian is the father of former Puducherry Lt Governor and senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan.

Kumari Anandan was selected for the award by a committee comprising Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

The committee met at the state secretariat on Thursday and announced the winner of this year's prestigious award.

The award will be handed over to Kumari Ananthan on August 15 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin.

Earlier winners of this award are veteran communist leaders N. Sankariah, R. Nallakannu and Dravidar Kazhagam President K. Veeramani.

Instituted by the state government to honour distinguished personalities of Tamil Nadu, the 'Thagaisal Tamilar' award was introduced in the year 2021. The prestigious 'Thagaisal Tamilar' award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs and a citation.

/IANS