Bhubaneswar, Mar 11: The Odisha government has decided to organise district-level book fairs in every district, with separate financial allocations provided to each district for the purpose. The initiative, approved by the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, will be implemented from the current financial year. The state Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee had also provided its recommendations to the department regarding the organisation of district-level book fairs.

Over the past seven years, various book fairs in the state capital Bhubaneswar, were organised in collaboration with different event agencies by the Culture Department at Unit-3, IDCO Exhibition Ground, running for ten days as state-level events. However, since last year, the department has been organising the fair s independently. While the annual allocation for book fair was previously ₹3 crore, the budget for the current year has been increased to ₹24 crore to facilitate fairs across all districts, with approximately ₹50 lakh earmarked for each district.

The department has finalised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for district-level book fairs. Each district will form a committee under the chairmanship of the respective District Collector to ensure smooth organisation of the event. Adequate preparation will be undertaken well in advance, and publishers from within and outside the state will be invited to participate.

Each fairs stage will be named after a notable local personality, and pavilions will be constructed to highlight the values and contributions of distinguished figures from the region. Students from schools, colleges, and universities will be encouraged to participate in literary discussion sessions to promote Odia language and literature. Various competitions related to Odia language, literature, and culture will be held, with awards presented to deserving participants.\

Fair stalls will be designed to be attractive and engaging, and publishers and publication houses will be honoured for their contributions to literature. The district Culture Development Officers (DCOs) will coordinate all activities at the district level, ensuring active collaboration to implement the programme efficiently.