Ranchi, Dec. 21: The state government announced today that it is ?not going to print the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) titles, whose copyrights have been procured by the education department about a year back?.

This announcement comes a day after the non-availability of NCERT books rocked the Jharkhand Assembly.

MLA Bandhu Tirkey had raised the issue of non-distribution of NCERT books among the SC/ST students and among girls in the general category, as envisaged under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and District Primary Education Programme (DPEP).

Under its welfare schemes, the state government had promised to distribute free textbooks. But a shortage of the books exists and students are trying to cope with this situation.

Human resources development minister Pradeep Yadav, however, lobbed the ball into the Union government?s court, saying: ?After procuring NCERT copyrights, we had twice floated tenders for printing. But some vested interests in Delhi got the tenders cancelled and thus the printing was delayed.?

The minister, however, did not inform the House as to what the HRD department intends to do to deal with the current crisis in books, as final examinations for most classes, including the secondary examinations, are scheduled between December 2005 and April.

Yadav is reported to have left for his home constituency today and was not reachable.

Sources in HRD, however, maintained that it was technically impossible for the government to float fresh tenders for printing the books. ?Fresh tenders for printing could be floated only in the next fiscal,? he informed.

But, he added, the minister has directed the officials concerned to ensure the availability of the books by ?combing out the books from godowns and bookstores, so that the crisis could be tackled this year?.

The students, according to HRD sources, are managing by borrowing or buying second-hand.