Request from BAPASI to Tamil Nadu Government in this time of distress regarding outstanding pubic library book payment

Chennai: The Booksellers’ & Publishers’ Association of South India (BAPASI) requests Govt. of Tamil Nadu regarding the payment for the books supplied to Govt. public libraries and to release the publisher’s welfare association fund at the earliest.
Generally, the months of March, April and May the publishing industry faces a lean period due to reasons like public examinations, vacation for schools and colleges. Now to add on to this plight, the CORONA related issues the publishers and the publishing industry are nearly stalled. Due to this unexpected situation the livelihood of publishers has become a question mark. This critical situation has put lakhs of people who are related to the publishing industry like the printing press, book binding is in crisis. Hence, BAPASI looks forward Tamil Nadu Government’s helping hand in regard to this.
According to the Government order published in February 2019, publishers have supplied books in the March and April 2019 last year to the Govt. public libraries, for which the payment stands pending from several district libraries. The paper dealers, printing press owners and book binders stand unpaid by the publishers. BAPASI requests the government’s whole hearted look into this condition and release the amount to the publishers at the earliest.
Moreover, Tamil Nadu Government’s Publishers Welfare Association formed for the benefit of publishers deducts a 2.5 % of the purchase amount for the books purchased for Government libraries. This deducted amount lays unused by the welfare committee which can be used for the benefit of the publishers and the publishing welfare association members during this lean and distressed period, so BAPASI requests the Tamil Nadu Government to bring light to the lives of the publishing industry during this dark hours.
BAPASI submits a sincere request to Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Hon’ble Minister of School Education, Tamil Nadu for the immediate dispersal of the two justified and much needed redressal placed on the table by the publishing industry which not only illuminates the schools and colleges but the whole society towards knowledge.