New Delhi, October 7: The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has signed an agreement with Amazon to distribute its textbooks through the e-commerce platform, Amazon.in, in an effort to ensure fair pricing across the country. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the collaboration on Monday, stating that NCERT will triple its book publication this year, with plans to print 15 crore textbooks.
“NCERT has been shaping India’s education landscape by publishing textbooks since 1963, having distributed around 220 crore books and journals to date. As a major think tank for the country, NCERT’s goal is to ensure these books are available nationwide across nearly 20,000 pin codes at the maximum retail price (MRP),” Pradhan stated.
The Minister also emphasized the importance of making education more engaging for the 300 million students during the “Amrit Kaal” period and encouraged the development of interactive e-books driven by artificial intelligence, including innovative features like talking books.
Under the agreement, NCERT textbooks for all grades will now be available on Amazon’s NCERT storefront, which was launched on the same day. The partnership aims to combat the sale of counterfeit and overpriced NCERT textbooks by ensuring that only original copies are sold at the prescribed rates. Amazon’s extensive delivery network will allow students and schools, even in remote areas, to access textbooks at fair prices, helping bridge supply gaps and addressing challenges related to regional shortages and delayed availability.
A senior education ministry official highlighted that this collaboration would also facilitate bulk orders for government agencies and schools, with Amazon streamlining the process of procuring large volumes of textbooks. Designated distribution vendors will work with sellers on Amazon to ensure timely and efficient deliveries.
Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President of Categories at Amazon India, expressed pride in Amazon’s role in supporting education in India. “Amazon is trusted by millions of Indians across the country every day for making essential products easily accessible, and we believe that quality education should be no exception. By ensuring genuine NCERT textbooks are available at fair prices, Amazon is contributing to a more transparent and reliable educational ecosystem,” he said.
This collaboration marks a significant step toward making educational resources more accessible and affordable for students, parents, and educators alike, supporting the broader mission of equitable access to education.
