Guwahati: Assam education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya on Friday lauded the efforts of Assam State Textbook Production and Publication Corporation Ltd under the state elementary education department, as it made possible the distribution of altogether 14.92 lakh free textbooks for class XI students on time.

A programme on ceremonial distribution of free textbooks for class XI students was organised by the Assam secondary education department at the B. Borooah College auditorium here on Friday.

"Getting information on the number of students enrolled in the colleges of each district and sorting them medium-wise is difficult as students today are aware about admission seats in colleges. As a precaution, students reserve their seat in a college by taking admission and later leave it after securing admission in other colleges of better ranks. So officials in the department have to wait for some time to collect information on the exact numbers of students enrolled in each college of the district," Bhattacharya said.

"It takes about 10 days to complete the collection of all this information, draft printing and publication of the total number of textbooks. It is a significant day today as the free textbooks have been distributed for the first time for class XI students," he added.

The state government had come up with the scheme of free distribution of textbooks among students from 2016 to improve the enrollment of students in high and higher secondary schools.

Textbooks on five core subjects of arts, science, commerce and vocational streams are published in eight different languages for 1,71,065 students enrolled in higher secondary (HS) first year for session 2018-19.

"We submitted the draft for printing on July 26. All the employees, right from the ground level deserve the credit," said Rajen Barthakur, chairman of Assam State Textbook Production and Publication Corporation Ltd.

Barthakur said free textbooks distribution for classes IX and X was started in 2016-17 while 13,61,200 textbooks were distributed for HS second year students for the first time in 2017-18.

"In 2018-19, 13,41,200 textbooks were distributed among the HS second-year students," he said.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was the chief guest, said, "We have to empower the backward sections through the light of education, which can be possible through the free distribution of books as many students have to dropout from school for lack of textbooks."

He urged the students to gain knowledge on good governance, which is possible though reading books.

Swadesh Adhyayan, a new textbook included in the curriculum of secondary education, was also ceremonially distributed in the programme.