ABOUT US

History:-

The Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has played a pioneering role in the growth and development of book industry in post-Independence India.  The Division, which has descended in some ways from the department set up by the British Government to conduct propaganda against the Axis Powers during World War-II, brought out periodicals in not only English, Hindi and Urdu, but also in some foreign languages, e.g. Persian, Arabic and Russian. Its publications included the Arabic version (abridged) of David Copperfield and the Ramayana in a Russian fortnightly. It had its own printing press. While many other departments engaged in counter-propaganda, e.g., films and entertainment, exhibition etc. were wound up, the government, recognizing that providing information was the key to progress, retained this department. It was the Publications Division that carried the message of the Five Year Plans to the people and produced books of general interest and magazines largely for informing or motivating the people.

Publications Division (PD) is one of the leading publishing houses of the country and the largest in public sector.  It is a repository of books and journals for highlighting matters of national importance and India’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.  It holds the exclusive mandate for preserving national heritage and disseminating information through the production and sale of low priced, quality reading material on subjects of national importance. The subjects range from art, history, culture, biographies of eminent persons, land and people, flora and fauna, children’s literature, science and technology and Gandhian Literature to work of reference like India – A Reference Annual.  The Division also brings out selected speeches of the Presidents and Prime Ministers of India.  With headquarters at Delhi, the Division functions through its various field units – Sales Emporia at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Patna, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Yojana Offices at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Bangalore.  The offices of Employment News and Journals Unit are located in New Delhi.

It carries out sales of publications through its own sale outlets located at important cities as well as through the agents. It also takes part in exhibitions and book fairs to promote sale of books and journals.

It has so far published more than 7600 titles, out of which 1500 titles are live on date.

Besides books, the Publications Division brings out 21 Journals on issues of national importance and social purpose viz:

Bal Bharati, the popular children’s monthly in Hindi, is being published regularly since 1948. Its objective is to provide healthy entertainment to children while educating them at the same time and also inculcating in them human values and scientific temper through short stories, poems, picture stories and informative articles.

Ajkal, the prestigious literary magazine in Hindi and Urdu, brings out a number of special issues and covers different aspects of Indian culture and literature.

Yojana, the flagship journal of the Division seeks to carry the message of planned development to all sections of society and serves as a forum to promote a healthy discussion representing a cross-section of views on socio-economic aspects of development. Yojana, which is published in 13 languages, presents an all India perspective while highlighting regional development, innovations and initiatives.

Kurukshetra, the journal on rural development is serving as a forum for exchange of ideas on programmes, policies and implementation status of  development efforts in the rural sector.

Employment News/Rozgar Samachar - published in English, Hindi and Urdu every week is the largest circulated career guide today. It carries information about job vacancies in Central/State Government departments, public sector undertakings, educational institutions and reputed private organisations. Its editorial pages include a lead article, diary of events, letters to the editors, quotations, articles on the world of science, besides those on career guidance and other matters of use to examinees.

Bharatendu Harishchandra Awards: The Bharatendu Harishchandra Awards, originally instituted to encourage original creative writing in Hindi on mass communication, are also given for children’s literature, women’s problems and national integration.

Multi-Media Interactive CDs

The Division has entered in the field of e-publishing through its Multi-Media Interactive CD project. It aims at projecting the varied cultural opulence of India among the new-media friendly generation in India and abroad. The multi-media interactive CD-ROM not only includes Audio Visual documentation on the subject but also an electronic book of selected important writings on the subject, interactive quiz, hyper-links to concerned websites and wherever possible, virtual walk throughs and virtual reality features. Our CDs are the first of their kind produced by the Government.

The following multimedia interactive e-books in CD format are available:

Brihadishwara Temple

- A World Heritage Monument

The CD contains the following topics: =Location =History =Architecture= Paintings= Events and  =E-book

Goa

- A World Heritage and Tourist Destination

The CD contains the following: =History  =Art & Architecture =Monuments and Museums =National Resources =Towns and Markets =Fairs and Festivals =Music and Dance = People and Life Style = Food and Beaches

Indian Paintings

- Covering Rock Paintings to Modern Arts

The CD has the following sections: =Murals =Manuscript Paintings (Pala and Jain) =Mughal Miniatures =Deccani Miniatures =Rajasthani Miniatures =Company Paintings= Rock Art =Folk and Tribal Art and =the Modern Idiom.

Konark

     -The Black Pagoda

The interactive section includes =Film =A walkthrough =E-book =Konark =History =Architecture and Sculpture Art =Sun Temple Complex & Adjoining Monuments =Photo Gallery and nearby sites.

Legacy of Adi Shankara

-Culture & Knowledge Tourism in India

The legacy of Adi Shankara is well-explained in the Multi-media interactive CD. It presents a detailed description of the life and works of Adi Shankara and carries audio of our popular hymns composed by him as also the video footage of the multi-tradition established by him.

Sanchi Stupa

-A Spiritual Symphony in Stone

(A World Heritage Buddhist Monument)

The interactive section includes =Glimpses of Sanchi =A virtual walkthrough =E-book =Snippets =Quiz and =Photo Gallery.

-A World Heritage Monument

The CD contains =Qutub Complex =Qutub Minar =Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque =Iron Pillar =Iltutmish's Tomb =Alai Darwaza =Around Mehrauli =Quiz =E-book =History =Virtual walkthrough.