New Delhi, Oct 7: Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday presided over the signing of the Letter of Engagement (LoE) between NCERT and Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd.

This is the first such tie-up, which will ensure access to original NCERT textbooks at the printed price on major e-commerce platforms.

Addressing the audience, Pradhan stated that today’s initiative will strengthen NEP2020’s vision of making education inclusive, accessible, and affordable. He added that with the increasing digital footprint across the country, this initiative will also support the Government’s vision of ‘ease of living.’

Pradhan noted that NCERT has been shaping India's education landscape by publishing textbooks since 1963, with a total of around 220 crore books and journals. He emphasized that NCERT is a major think tank for the country. Furthermore, he announced that these books will be made available across nearly 20,000 pin codes nationwide. He emphasized that these books should be available at MRP.

The Minister lauded NCERT’s partnership with Amazon calling it a step towards enhancing ease of living and accessibility to education. NCERT to triple-fold publication of books and publish 15 crore books this year, he added.

He also informed the audience that NCERT has been entrusted with the responsibility of developing 21st-century textbooks.

Stressing the importance of making learning joyful for the 300 million students of the Amrit Kaal, he urged the development of e-books that are interactive and AI-driven, featuring innovations like talking books. Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, he underscored the significance of books in all 23 languages, declaring that books will be the real soft power of India.

Highlighting the significance of textbooks in education, Shri Sanjay Kumar emphasized the need to strengthen the supply chain for these essential resources. He stressed that textbooks, which account for nearly 96% of the total volume of book sales in the country, should be made available through e-commerce platforms like Amazon to enhance accessibility for students.

NCERT textbooks of all grades shall be made available on the Amazon NCERT storefront (http://amazon.in/ncert), which was also launched today. The textbooks shall be retailed at a price not more than the rate printed on the textbooks. Only original NCERT textbooks shall be retailed on this platform, thereby helping curb the sale of pirated NCERT textbooks. Amazon will help NCERT monitor and take down unauthorized sellers who distribute counterfeit or overpriced books.

Through Amazon's vast delivery network, students and schools, even in the most remote areas, will be able to purchase textbooks at the prescribed prices. This would address the challenges of supply gaps, delayed availability, and regional shortages of textbooks, ensuring equitable access to education.

This tie-up shall also enable NCERT to leverage customer reviews and feedback to improve the quality of its textbooks and other educational material. Moreover, anonymised sales and usage data will be shared with NCERT to facilitate informed decision-making regarding future print orders, distribution strategies, and selection of new distributors in States/districts where the demand for NCERT textbooks is more.

Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Sanjay Kumar; Joint Secretary, (DoSEL), Prachi Pandey; Director, NCERT, Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani; Vice President, Amazon, Saurabh Shrivastava; Director, Public Policy, Amazon, Aman Jain, other dignitaries and officials were also present at the event.

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