New Delhi, Feb 10: The human race has always had an inseparable and friendly relationship with books. India's ancient epics and books have always retained their glory, Union Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said while inaugurating the 52nd 'New Delhi World Book Fair 2024' here on Saturday.

The book fair is being organised on behalf of the National Book Trust (NBT) with the support of the Ministry of Education. 

Let it be the Papyrus of Egypt or palm leaves and Bhojapatra manuscripts of India or the paper book of China, people always find the written word very interesting. Books give a special identity to writers. In India, we understand the value of books well. There were the best libraries in India in the ancient and medieval periods. The world-class ancient universities in Nalanda, Takshashila, Rajgiri, and Ujjain had world-class libraries.

Though these universities were sheerly neglected during British rule, the books in there libraries didn't lose their distinction. Our ancient texts on Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, Astronomy, Mathematics and Medicine enriched the world. That was our high tradition. We are proud of the authors and readers of our book, said Pradhan.

The Union Minister said the "Festival of Festivals" of the New Delhi World Book Fair will be the centre of attraction. 

He also unveiled the innovative learning E-learning platform, E ‘Jaadui Pitara’, which is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, comprising puzzles, riddles, and stories. The inclusive and informative content, translated into 22 languages using Artificial Intelligence (AI) aims to transform early childhood education. 

Further initiatives unveiled at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2024 include Special Modules aligned with NEP 2020, teaching-learning resources and subject-specific modules. Additionally, resources promoting G20 initiatives, Viksit Bharat and Nari Shakti Vandan were launched, highlighting India's commitment to social development and empowerment. The "Igniting Collective Goodness Mann ki Baat @100" anthology, comprising 100 episodes of the radio show, and published by NBT-India in 12 languages, was launched alongside four new titles under the "Creating Intellectual Heritage" project, published by NBT-India. 

The Union Minister also released the Hindi and English Braille editions of the book "Exam Warriors" penned by the Prime Minister and published by NBT-India.

Saleh bin Eid Al-Husseini, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to India,  Union Minister of State for Education Dr Annpurna Devi and NBT-India Director Yiuvraj Malik were present, among others. 

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