Agartala, Jan 30: A significant number of counterfeit academic books were seized by a joint inquiry committee from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) during raids at two prominent bookstores in Agartala on Thursday. 

Chief Business Manager Amitabha Kumar, who led the NCERT team, explained that the operation followed complaints to NCERT regarding counterfeit books being sold in Agartala. “We surveyed the market and with police assistance, raided the shops identified in the complaints,” Kumar stated.

He further explained that the fake books were printed on substandard 50 GSM paper, unlike the genuine NCERT books, which are printed on 80 GSM paper.

Kumar also highlighted the financial incentives behind the illegal sale of fake books and said  that while NCERT offers a 20 percent profit margin, illegal publishers offer up to 40 percent, making counterfeit books more appealing to bookstores. 

He assured that strict legal action would be taken against those involved in the illegal trade.