There are anomalies in Assam Publication Board: Barkataky

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 23: State Education Minister Sarat Barkataky himself today admitted that there have been anomalies in the Assam Publication Board for the past ten years.

The minister said this when reporters asked him as to why there had been no audit in the State Publication Board for the past ten years. “When I first stepped into the Board office after taking charge, I was shocked to see the anomalies. I’ve asked the authorities concerned to go for an audit so as to let me submit the report to the Chief Minister by January,” Barkataky said.

The minister further said that the 29th Guwahati Book Fair would start at the Assam Engineering Institute (AEI) playground at Chandmari in the city from December 25, 2015 and conclude on January 5, 2016.

According to the minister, this year the Budget for the Book Fair is Rs 52 lakh against Rs 1.50 crore last year, albeit along with that of the literary festival. Barkataky further said that there would be 120 book stalls in the book fair this year – 94 from Assam, 17 from Kolkata and 9 from New Delhi.

On the appointment of teachers, Barkataky said: “The jobs of 6,500 contractual teachers will be regularized within January next year.”