5 months ago
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The past clip the Department of Public Libraries (DPL), which runs 1,131 nationalist libraries successful the State, bought books was successful 2021 and ne'er again successful the past 4 years.
This has not lone rendered these libraries outdated, but has besides dealt a large stroke to the Kannada publishing industry. The crux of the occupation lies successful however the section bodies, which cod a Library Cess arsenic portion of the spot tax, bash not regularly transportation them to the DPL. This has been an contented for decades present and astatine the extremity of the 2024-25 fiscal year, DPL has an outstanding of a whopping ₹526.83 crore.
As connected March 31, 2025, the section bodies were expected to transportation ₹827.42 crore successful room cess, which includes cess collected successful 2024-25 and the backlog from erstwhile years. However, lone ₹300.59 crore has been transferred till date, leaving an outstanding of ₹526.83 crore.
The biggest defaulter has been the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which had a full outstanding of ₹691.85 crore, of which it paid lone ₹230.81 crore. Now the outstanding stands astatine ₹461.04 crore, which volition beryllium present divided into 5 corporations formed successful September, 2025. The 2nd large defaulter has been Mysuru with an outstanding of ₹20.49 crore.
This was revealed by the Minister for School Education and Literacy (DSEL) Madhu Bangarappa, responding to a question from MLC A. H. Vishwanath, during the precocious concluded Winter league of the Karnataka Legislature held successful Belagavi.
Publishers program protest
Several Kannada publishers, deed by the DPL not buying books for 4 years now, are mulling to instrumentality to the streets and clasp a protestation implicit the issue. They allege that DPL hasn’t made capable efforts to cod outstanding Library Cess and revamp nationalist libraries crossed the State. “Our sources accidental that the DPL hasn’t adjacent written a azygous missive to the Urban Development Department implicit the past 2 years, asking it to transportation Library Cess they collected,” a steadfast said.
“The DPL besides has an outstanding of ₹6.86 crore to publishers and writers for the books it has already procured. It has made small efforts to cod the room cess, paralysing the full department. Repeated representations to the ministers person been of nary avail. Recently, successful November, a gathering was held with us, wherever it was promised that each issues volition beryllium sorted retired successful 20 days. But thing has travel of it adjacent aft implicit a month. We are near with nary enactment but to signifier a protestation objection against the government,” Srushti Nagesh, a publisher, said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bangarappa responding to Mr. Vishwanath’s question successful the Karnataka Legislative Council, said the process of procuring books published successful 2022 was being finalised, and that a connection has been made to the authorities to signifier a enactment committee to procure books published successful 2023 and 2024, which would beryllium formed soon.
