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dated August 3, 1957: National Book Trust

The National Book Trust was inaugurated in New Delhi on August 1 by the Vice-President, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Addressing the gathering present on the occasion, Dr. Radhakrishnan underlined the role of books in disciplining the minds of people and fostering national solidarity. Speaking later, Prime Minister Nehru said that in order to bring out low-cost books the publishers should dispense with fancy paper and binding. He wanted a large number of small libraries to grow up everywhere. The National Book Trust has been established by the Union Education Ministry under the Chairmanship of Mr. C.D. Deshmukh, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, for the production of good books and make them available at moderate prices to libraries, educational institutions and the public. Among those present at the function were the Union Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the 15 members of the Trust, Vice-Chancellors of universities, Dr. C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar, Dr. R.P. Paranjpe, Mr. V.T. Krishnamachari, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, and representatives of the UNESCO. Mr. Deshmukh said the predominant aim of the Trust would be to create an ever-widening range of reading public through an integrated and well-co-ordinated system of making good literature available at a reasonable price. The success of NBT’s efforts, said Mr. Deshmukh, would depend, first, on the right choice of books to be published and, secondly, its ability to resolve the equation between the price of the book and the number of copies printed.

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