By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 10, 2025: UNION Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, launched 41 new books under the PM YUVA 2.0 scheme at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 today. The Governor of Tripura, Indrasena Reddy Nallu, graced the event as the guest of honour.

While addressing the gathering, Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated the 41 young authors whose books were unveiled. Expressing confidence in their potential, he stated that their writings and creativity would enrich the literary landscape and provide a new direction to intellectual discourse.

The Minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conceptualizing the PM YUVA Scheme, highlighting its transformation into a national movement. He emphasized its significant impact on mentoring and nurturing budding authors, fostering proud ambassadors of Indian culture, heritage, history, languages, and literature, and bringing to light the stories of unsung heroes of the freedom struggle.

Pradhan further underscored that promoting books in Indian languages across the country is a national mission. He described initiatives like PM YUVA as groundbreaking steps in this direction. He also emphasized that the recently announced 'Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme' in this year's budget would add momentum to this national endeavour.

Acknowledging the pivotal role of the National Book Trust (NBT) in making books and literature accessible in Indian languages, he urged the institution to embrace technology and collaborate with domestic and international publishers to take India's rich literary heritage and linguistic traditions to a global audience.

The Minister also visited the Exhibition Halls and congratulated NBT for organizing one of the world's largest book fairs. Calling it a "Gyan-Kumbh" of literature, languages, knowledge, people, and cultures, he described the fair as a reader's paradise-an ideal platform to discover new books, immerse in literature, meet authors, and connect with fellow book lovers.

Additionally, Pradhan released the Hindi version of The Saga of Kudopali: The Unsung Story of 1857. He announced that the book would soon be available in 12 Indian and two foreign languages, ensuring a wider reach and deeper impact. He also released Sangama Madhavante Randu Krithikal, the Malayalam translation of the works of 14th-century mathematician and astronomer Sri Madhava.

The event was attended by Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education; Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy; Prof. Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, NBT; Prof. M. Jagdeesh Kumar, Chairperson, UGC; and Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT.