The booksellers and publishers of the state under the aegis of All Tripura Book Sellers and Publishers’ Association (ATBSPA) on Sunday yet again appealed to the government to stop selling books to the students of class IX to XII and let the bookselling industry of the state survive.
The Association held the 4th Biennial representational Conference in Agartala on Sunday. From the conference, the Association members raised demand ‘Let us survive, give us chance to run bookselling business. Let the Government stay away from book trading, Let the bookselling industry to grow in the State’.
Association members highlighted the challenges that the booksellers of the State were facing. According to the Association members, the State Government’s decision to sell books to students of class IX-XII through schools has created serious problems for the booksellers.
The Association, in a press release, expressed concern over the government policy of selling books to the students and stated that the book sellers in the state are reeling under acute crisis as their business has shrunk.
“The policy adopted by the state government over selling books to the students has affected our business. Besides, Covid pandemic situation has created severe financial constraints on us. In view of this, we under the aegis of our association appeal, ‘Let us live, let us do book business’. Let the government give up the book business, let the state build the book industry’,” the press release read.
It also stated that the Association would welcome the policy of the government if it would distribute books to the students free of cost.
“According to the NCERT rules, no school can sell books directly to the students. The NCERT is marketing the books country-wide through bookselling. No state except Tripura is engaged in selling books to the students directly,” it stated.
The association also alleged, “Here the state government is trying to turn government schools into business establishments, and we oppose it.”
“The state’s booksellers suffered huge financial losses in the three academic years of 2019, 2020 and 2021 due to the wrong policy adopted by the state government. Education Minister promised us that the government would not take any decision that would harm us, but it now seems that government has been doing the very opposite of what it promised. We also tried to approach the Chief Minister of the state over the issue of our financial losses that we are still going through, but no response came up so far,” the Association leaders said.
However, the association strongly demanded the government to stop selling books directly to the students and restore the business of the book sellers and publishers of the state.