The Impressive TimesNew Delhi, June 2- In a strong crackdown on textbook piracy, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has taken decisive action over the past 14 months against those involved in the illegal printing, storage, and sale of pirated NCERT textbooks. Working in close coordination with police departments across various states, NCERT has helped seize more than 5 lakh counterfeit books, along with a substantial stockpile of printing materials and machinery valued at over ₹20 crore. In total, 29 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed against offending printers, warehouse operators, and sellers.
Continuing this aggressive stance, a major raid was recently carried out in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The operation led to the confiscation of over 1.5 lakh pirated textbooks worth more than ₹2 crore. Authorities also seized a truck, two cars filled with illegal textbooks, and a large cache of printing plates. Eight individuals were arrested at the scene. In a related operation, a printing press in Samalkha, Haryana, was also raided where further pirated books, plates, and machinery were discovered. Investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of this piracy network and identify the key perpetrators behind it.
To curb the spread of counterfeit books and ensure the health and academic safety of students, NCERT has launched a series of reforms. These include enhancing the print and paper quality of official textbooks, ensuring timely and adequate availability in the market, and initiating action against unauthorized paper mills producing fake watermarked NCERT paper. Additionally, NCERT textbooks are now available at MRP without delivery charges on major e-commerce platforms.
To further safeguard against piracy, NCERT has partnered with IIT Kanpur to implement a tech-driven anti-piracy solution. This new system has already been tested on 10 lakh copies of one title and will be expanded to all NCERT titles in the upcoming academic session, phasing out the older watermark method which had become easy to replicate.
NCERT remains firm in its commitment to combat textbook piracy and urges students, parents, and educators to report any suspicious activity or pirated book sales by emailing pd.ncert@nic.in. These collective efforts aim to preserve the integrity of educational content and protect learners nationwide.
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