Vigilance cell gets nod to send pirated book samples to NCERT
Naina Mishra
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 11
Officials of the UT Vigilance Cell today received an approval from the higher authorities for sending 42 “pirated” book samples collected during a raid on Tuesday to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, for lab testing.
According to the preliminary investigation, there is a presumption that paper of the books was of poor quality and ink used may cause health hazards. The exact details will be out after lab test is done and duplicacy of the books is verified by the NCERT.
Copies of the NCERT textbooks are available on its official website in the form of PDF and can be downloaded and used as textbooks or for reference.
However, ruling out the possibility of books being printed with the help of online copies, a senior official of the Vigilance Cell said: “Taking print out from the PDF format available on the NCERT official website won’t produce an exact copy of the book. The books procured as a sample from two bookshops resemble the original one, hence, there are strong chances that the books were printed with the help of a master soft copy from the printing agency.”
Prof Amarendra P Behera, Joint Director, CIET, NCERT, told The Tribune: “Whenever we receive any complaint, the NCERT conducts raid and police take action. A book can not only be produced with a master soft copy. Any copy in digital form can be copied. The NCERT books are available in three formats online and anyone can make a duplicate from it.”
“Pirated NCERT books are not a new thing. Many a time, states take copyright permission and they can print at their level. We have given copyright to more than 17 states. Piracy could have happened anywhere. We have to find the printer who is involved in the printing of duplicate books other than the one supplying the books,” said Behera.
“We will examine the book sample of Chandigarh with the help of experts. There is a serial number for books printed by the NCERT which can be checked. The new books have QR codes for selective topics, which I assume pirated books won’t have.”
On the issue of non-availability of NCERT books in market, Behra added: “We are unaware of this, but if vendors are supplying books, parents can file a complaint with us.”
To discourage piracy, the online NCERT textbooks carry a watermark on all pages — declaring the NCERT copyright. The national publication restricts buying and selling electronic or printed books with watermarked pages.
Further, no agency or individual is allowed to make electronic or print copies of these books and redistribute them in any form. The NCERT textbooks are copyrighted and use of these online books as part of digital content packages or software is also prohibited. No website or online service is permitted to host these online textbooks.
A total of 42 NCERT books that were pirated or duplicate were seized during a joint raid conducted by the UT Vigilance Department and NCERT, New Delhi, at two bookshops here on Tuesday. Sources in the inspection team said the books did not carry the NCERT watermark.
