Thiruvananthapuram: Publishers are facing a crisis as a result of the Legislative Assembly International Book Fair. They are yet to receive a good amount of money from the Pustakotsavam (the book fair).
The Legislative Assembly International Book Fair was inaugurated last year. Many publishers, both within and from outside states, took part in the book fair. The book sales were done through the Asset Development Fund of MLAs. However, publishers are still awaiting payment of lakhs of rupees owed to them from last year’s book sales. Although this was mentioned in the consultation meeting of the second fair this year, no payment has been received, and no proactive measures have been taken to address the matter. Therefore, publishing organizations have lodged a protest with the Legislative Assembly Secretariat.
But the Assembly Secretariat responded that the officials of the Collectorate have to pay the money and they have nothing to do with it. The delays in certain districts are attributed to the shortcomings of the officials in those specific regions.
The government had granted permission to procure books using Rs 3 lakh from the MLA’s Asset Development Fund. Publishers had hoped that this initiative would also be beneficial for libraries and educational institutions.
However, despite providing book sales data to the District Collectorate, many publishers have still not received their payments due to the ongoing financial crisis faced by the state. Districts such as Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram are among those that are yet to receive their funds.
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