The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : SPCS disburses royalty dues

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SPCS disburses royalty dues

Staff Reporter

100 more books to be published

SPCS on the revival path: Minister
Rs.17 lakh to be disbursed as royalty

KOCHI: One-hundred more books would be published before March 31 next as part of a scheme being implemented by the State government to revive the Sahitya Pravarthaka Cooperative Society (SPCS), Minister for Cooperation G. Sudhakaran has said.

He was speaking after inaugurating the disbursement of royalty dues to writers at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium here on Saturday. He said the government had given instructions to ensure that at least 25 per cent of the new books to be published are of new writers.

Books costing Rs.10 lakh had been procured from the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and more books would be purchased from leading publishers, he said.

He said the society was now on the path of revival. Royalty dues were being settled in a phased manner. The outstanding dues of employees would be paid before September 5, the Minister said.

Royalty totalling Rs.17 lakh due to 167 writers would be disbursed as part of the second phase of the scheme being implemented by the State government for the revival of the SPCS.

Royalty dues for four writers were disbursed at the function.

Ten books, including a poetry collection by Chemmanam Chacko titled Chiri Madhuratharam and re-prints of classics, were released on the occasion.

Cultural base

Releasing the books, the former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer said that the cultural base of a nation was with writers.

Efforts should be taken to arrest the erosion of cultural values, he said.

In his address, S. Sarma, Minister for Fisheries and Registration, said collective efforts of the Department of Cooperation and writers were needed to ensure self-reliance of the SPCS.

K.V. Thomas, MLA, presided.

Literary critics M.K. Sanoo, M. Leelavati and M. Achuthan, writers Chemmanam Chacko, K.L. Mohana Varma, S. Ramesan, senior mediaperson K.M. Roy, Kalamandalam Kesavan, M.M. Monayee and Saju Paul, MLAs, and District Cooperative Bank president V.P. Saseendran, were present.

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