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Counterfeit NCERT books deluge markets, officials caught off guard
Seizure of over 1.33 lakh counterfeit NCERT books worth ₹2 crore in west UP’s Muzaffarnagar has unravelled a growing menace
The seizure of over 1.33 lakh (133,000) counterfeit NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) books worth ₹2 crore in Muzaffarnagar’s Khatauli area on Monday has unravelled the growing menace of these pirated books in Uttar Pradesh as well as other Hindi- speaking states.
The counterfeit books mimic NCERT textbooks in layout, price markings, and barcode design, clearly intended to mislead students, parents and education institutions. The piracy of NCERT textbooks results in substantial financial losses for the government. Besides, the substandard materials used in pirated books often pose health hazards to students.
According to NCERT data, more than five lakh (500,000) copies of pirated textbooks, a huge quantity of printing paper and machinery worth more than ₹20 crore have been seized and 29 First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against printers, warehouse owners and retailers of pirated textbooks in the past 14 months in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar.
The UP police arrested eight people after registering an FIR following the Muzaffarnagar raid.
Uttar Pradesh minister for secondary education Gulab Devi said that she will take up the matter of counterfeit NCERT books recovered by police in Muzaffarnagar.
“We will surely and seriously take up the case and will report it to NCERT officials for action,” she said.
A senior official of the U.P. secondary education department said counterfeit NCERT textbooks have grown multiple times in the recent years.
He also said NCERT didn’t have the capacity to meet the surging demand and failed to deliver textbooks for around 1.10 crore (11 million) students of Class 9 to 12 of government and government-aided schools in U.P. alone.
“So, we pay royalty to NCERT and self-print the textbooks required for UP board students and put U.P. board logos in these self-printed books for free distribution among students,” he said.
“Besides, the state has a demand for around 11.48 lakh more textbooks for students enrolled in private CBSE schools in UP,” said a CBSE official in the state.
Former Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairman Ashok Ganguly observed, “We have to streamline the entire process of publication of school textbooks and their timely availability. It is not possible for one organisation to ensure the publication of school textbooks pan India for all classes and their availability before the academic session. This limitation is often exploited by unscrupulous elements in the form of fake textbooks. NCERT neither has the strength nor capacity nor adequate resources to do this job in time.”
He said it is better NCERT prepares the manuscript, puts it on their website and textbooks are printed by private players after paying royalty. NCERT , instead, must focus on their main agenda of research, training and empowerment of educators and teachers.
“In 2007, a committee was constituted by the government of India under the chairmanship of an IAS officer Sathyan to submit a report about streamlining of printing of textbooks for timely availability to schools. There were several other experts, including the then chairman of CBSE,” Ganguly added.
Speaking over the phone, an NCERT spokesperson said the council has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards piracy of NCERT textbooks, which is a cognizable offence under the Copyright Act, 1957. He said the council has been actively working to combat the growing menace of pirated textbooks.
“NCERT has formed a committee to curb this piracy menace. The team also accompanied the Delhi police team and UP police during the recent seizures,” he stated.
He said NCERT is working closely with state police forces to identify and apprehend those responsible for piracy. He said curbing the piracy of text books is crucial in protecting the integrity of education and ensuring that students have access to quality textbooks.
The spokesperson added that introduction of a technology-based anti-piracy solution developed by IIT-Kanpur for NCERT textbooks has been piloted on 10 lakh copies of one title. It shall be scaled up to all titles in the next academic year, replacing the old watermarked paper, which has become redundant and is easily copied by pirates, he added.
THE MUZAFFARNAGAR RAID
The state police raided a Muzaffarnagar warehouse and seized over 1.33 lakh pirated NCERT textbooks worth over ₹2 crore, one truck, and two cars loaded with pirated textbooks, as well as a large number of printing plates.
In continuation of this action, a printing press in Samalkha (Haryana) was raided. A large number of printing plates being used for printing pirated NCERT textbooks, copies of pirated textbooks, and machinery were seized. Further investigation is underway to identify the masterminds behind the racket of manufacturing, distributing, and selling pirated NCERT textbooks.
