Lucknow: Students enrolled in classes IX to XII in schools recognised by the UP Secondary Education Board will not scramble to find textbooks for the upcoming academic year as publishers authorised by UPSEB can now sell books.The publishers on Monday claimed that all 70 NCERT books in 36 subjects are available across the state. UPSEB authorised three publishers — Pitambara Books Pvt Ltd, Jhansi; Pioneer Printers, Agra; and Singhal Agencies, Lucknow — to sell books. According to Ruchir Bansal from Pioneer Printers, 12 more books of Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu subjects, prepared by UPSEB for classes X to XII, are also available before the commencement of the session.UPSEB adopted NCERT books for classes IX to XII in 2018-19 academic session. Since then, every year, there was a shortage of books not only at the beginning but also months after the commencement of the session. “This year, the tender process started early, followed by printing the books,” said Abhinav Agarwal from Singhal Printers. According to the publishers, the books they made available are affordable. A set of 10 books for class X costs Rs 393, while that for class X is priced at Rs 440. For Class XI, which will have seven books, the price is set at Rs 458. Class 12 students will have to pay Rs 412 for a set of eight books. “Shortage of books in the past led to private publishers selling books at exorbitant price. These NCERT books are not only affordable but are of high quality,” said Surendra Singh from Pitambara Books.
