New Delhi: The 52nd edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair was inaugurated today by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. The event, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, saw the presence of distinguished guests, including Mr. Saleh bin Eid Al-Husseini, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to India, Minister of State for Education Smt. Annpurna Devi, and various other dignitaries.
This year’s theme, ‘Multilingual India: A Living Tradition,’ aims to celebrate the linguistic diversity of India and global literary traditions. Minister Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized that the fair serves as a harmonious convergence of literature, diverse cultures, artistic expressions, and knowledge. He underlined the pivotal role of multilingualism in India’s diversity and expressed the belief that language and books are essential assets in achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
During the inaugural session, Mr. Saleh bin Eid Al-Husseini highlighted the shared commitment between India and Saudi Arabia to deepen ties, drawing parallels between India’s Amrit Kaal and Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision.
Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the National Digital Libraries for All app, announced in the Budget 2023-34. The digital library, known as राष्ट्रीय e-पुस्तकालय, aims to provide a diverse range of non-academic books for children and adolescents, aligning with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “When citizens read, the country leads.”
The राष्ट्रीय e-पुस्तकालय will promote a lifelong love for reading, offering literature in various genres and languages, fostering critical thinking, imagination, creativity, and analytical skills among children and adolescents. Minister Pradhan assured that the platform will include literature from all 23 languages under the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
Additionally, Minister Pradhan unveiled the ‘E-Jaadui Pitara’ e-learning platform, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The platform, with content translated into 22 languages using Artificial Intelligence, aims to transform early childhood education with inclusive and informative content.
The Minister released special modules aligned with NEP 2020, subject-specific modules, and resources promoting G20 initiatives, Viksit Bharat, and Nari Shakti Vandan. He also unveiled the “Igniting Collective Goodness Mann ki Baat @100” anthology, containing 100 episodes of the radio show, published by NBT-India in 12 languages. Four new titles under the “Creating Intellectual Heritage” project were also released.
Furthermore, Shri Pradhan released the Hindi and English Braille editions of “Exam Warriors,” a book authored by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Following the inaugural session, the dignitaries took a tour of the book fair, including the Theme Pavilion, a Photo Exhibition on the Journey of the History of Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh, and the Guest Country Pavilion of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Themed around ‘Multilingual India: A Living Tradition,’ the New Delhi World Book Fair 2024 promises a celebration of India’s linguistic diversity and cultural richness. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia serves as the esteemed Guest Country, fostering cultural exchange and literary dialogues between the two nations. The fair, running from February 10 to 18, 2024, at Halls 1 to 5, Pragati Maidan, is open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, with free entry for children in school uniform, senior citizens, and differently-abled individuals. Tickets are available online at ITPO’s website and select Metro Stations.
