THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has allowed the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications (SIEP) to remove 171 damaged books from its library.
The SIEP had, in September 2021, had reported to the Cultural Affairs Department that 171 old books worth `46,947 were damaged. It had cited the books’ age and termite infestation as the reason.
The government has allowed SIEP to remove the books and write off their price, `46,947. The order by the deputy secretary of Cultural Affairs department has asked the SIEP director to take steps to avoid such losses in future.