21st Edition of Delhi Book Fair Begins Today

The event this year aims to offer people an idea about skill development and how it can change the life of the youth.

New Delhi:  Seeking to make people aware of the importance of skill development in today’s India, the 21st edition of the Delhi Book Fair began at Pragati Maidan today.

Based on the theme of ‘Skill Development’, the event this year aims to offer people an idea about skill development and how it can change the life of the youth.

The fair was inaugurated by Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.

It has been organised jointy by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and The Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) and subsidised entry tickets priced at Rs 20 for the nine-day fair have been been made available at several Delhi Metro stations for the convenience of the public.

At the inauguration, Singh stressed that the challenge was to create a passion for books among the public. “Better than employment is employability. Therefore, better than facilitating people’s arrival to the fair, we need to inspire some passion in them…. It is a huge challenge to create a passion which would not require facilitation,” he said.

While Internet is seen as a threat to the tradition of reading books, the optimistic minister suggested the need for encouraging a harmonious co-existence of the two.

“I don’t think that (Internet) should be taken as a challenge. It should be taken as a supplement. A lot of things have become easier. If you cannot find a publisher, you can publish it on the Internet. It automatically gets readership across the world,” he said, adding that a book, however, will always have a longer shelf life as compared to its electronic counterpart.

Addressing a query by Ashok Gupta, President of FIP, regarding any possibility of books becoming taxable with the passage of the GST Bill, Singh said, “We can make a submission in front of the Finance Minister” to urge him against any such move.

The fair is featuring titles and publications by over 215 participants, including overseas participation from China.

Publications spanning school and college textbooks, children’s literature and fiction and non-fiction are among the huge collection on offer for the public at the fair along with office and computer stationery, digital writing instruments, labels, printers, labeling machines, money checkers, material for seminars, conferences, office automation and corporate gifts.

Also among the highlights of the fair this year will be cultural events like street plays, dance shows, etc. as well as painting and story-telling competitions for students.

Literary  programme by Bhartiya Jnanpith, Workshop on Library Science by Rangnathan Research Centre Circle, the Laws of Invisible Leadership by IRH Press, Author Talk – Marcus du Sautoy by LIS British Council and Nukkad Natak on Child Abuse/Drugs and Narcotics are among the notable events lined up as part of the fair.

The fair also features an Excellence in Book Production award for publishers and a special theme pavilion dedicated to the late President APJ Abdul Kalam.

Concluding on September 6, the fair is open from 10am to 8pm for visitors.