Lok Sabha Question No. 1868 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-30
Subject: Book Allotment Centres
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: OM BIRLA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1868 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30 th  July, 2018

## Book Allotment Centres

## 1868. SHRI OM BIRLA:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  open  to  idea  of  opening  book  allotment  centres  across various schools where poor students can avail course book at the start of the session and they have to deposit the same at the end of the session so that it can be again issued to new batches and if so, whether the Government plans on implementing this model; and
- (b) if not, the reasons therefor along with the action taken by Government to make available course books to poor students at minimum prices?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a) & (b): The  Central  Government  has  launched  an  Integrated  scheme,  for  school education  named  as  Samagra  Shiksha  w.e.f  2018-19,  which  subsumes  the  three  erstwhile Centrally  Sponsored  schemes  of  school  education  i.e.  Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA), Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RMSA)  and  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  on Teacher Education (CSSTE).  Under the erstwhile scheme of SSA, textbooks were provided to all children of classes I to VIII in Government/Local Body and Government aided schools including Madarsas desirous of introducing the State curriculum, within an upper ceiling of Rs150/- per child at primary level and Rs 250/- per child at upper primary level. Under the new Integrated scheme of Samagra Shiksha the ceiling has been increased to Rs.250/- per child at primary level and Rs.400/at upper primary level. Further, there is a recommendation in the Samagra Shiksha scheme  to encourage  reuse of textbooks  so  that every child in the school has a textbook at the beginning of the academic year.

Additionally,  the  Kendriya  Vidyalaya  Sangathan  has  launched  a  programme known as ' PUSTAKOPAHAAR' in which senior students gift their books to juniors in the beginning  of  academic  year  in  all  Kendriya  Vidyalayas  across  the  country  on  voluntary basis. It serves dual purpose of having books without any financial burden and also saves environment by saving paper by reusing existing books.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) books are reasonably  priced  and  distributed  in  the  market  through  large  network  of  empanelled agencies  across  the  country.  Apart  from  this,  NCERT  books  are  also  distributed  from  its own  outlets  (Sales  counter)  located  at  Ahmedabad,  Bangaluru,  Kolkata,  Guwahati,  New Delhi and also from the sales counter located at its Regional Institutes i.e at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Mysore and Shillong.  In addition, the NCERT books can also be procured online at  the  doorstep  through  its  dedicated  web  portal www.ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in.   and can  be  downloaded  free  of  cost  from  NCERT  website www.ncert.nic.in and  e-pathshala mobile application.

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