New Delhi: The following steps have been taken in this regard: –
(i) The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) has empanelled 680 vendors across the country for the purpose of distribution of their textbooks. The list of these vendors along with their addresses and contact numbers are uploaded on NCERT website for the schools ensuring them an easy approach to vendors.
(ii) NCERT books are also made available to the students and schools from NCERT sales counter located at NCERT headquarter. In addition, NCERT books are made available from the sales counter of its Regional Centres located at Ahmadabad, Bangalore and Kolkata. The sales counters located at Regional Institutes of Education in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysore and Shillong also cater to their respective areas.
(iii) So far NCERT has released approximately 1.53 crore copies of their textbooks in the market. Further NCERT sales counters are equipped with adequate stock of books to supply to the schools as and when they desire to lift their stock from NCERT outlets.
(iv) All the NCERT textbooks are available on public domain as they have been uploaded on the NCERT website www.ncert.nic.in and also on e-pathshala mobile app.
(v) The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has created a link on its website for raising online indent for requirements of NCERT books for CBSE affiliated schools.
(b) Regular meetings have been held in the Ministry to review the requirement of NCERT textbooks in CBSE affiliated schools so as to ensure adequate supply of books to these schools.
So far, no complaint has been received from schools and parents regarding non-availability of NCERT textbooks. The Ministry has, however, been receiving many complaints from parents and public with regard to spending exorbitant amount for purchasing of books of private publishers. Keeping in view such complaints, CBSE has created a link on its website for raising online indent for requirements of NCERT books for CBSE affiliated schools to facilitate parents and students. This has resulted in receiving indents from 2091 CBSE affiliated schools for supply of 51.61 lakh NCERT books from across the country.
NCERT has already released approximately 1.53 crore copies of their textbooks in the market. Additional 30 lakh books are available in stock and 63 lakh books are under print. The NCERT has also granted Copyright permission to 14 States Education Boards/Agencies for adoption/ adaptation and translation etc., of their text books.
This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Shri Upendra Kushwaha today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.
