The Kannada Books Policy prepared by the Kannada Book Authority is in its final stages and will come into force in a few months, its chairman Siddalingaiah said on Wednesday.
Months after the Authority submitted its draft policy document to the state government which, in turn, placed it on public domain to solicit objections, Siddalingaiah said the process of finalising the policy was under way as there were no objections.
“What the policy will do is regulate the publishing and sale of Kannada books in such a manner that writers and publishers will benefit from it.
It will also take care of the technical aspects behind printing and pricing of books besides securing the intellectual property of authors,” Siddalingaiah said.
The noted Kannada poet is confident that the policy will increase Kannada readership as books would be made easily available in libraries and markets.
“The policy will also provide subsidies for vintage Kannada publication houses.
Compulsory remuneration for writers from publishers is also on the cards,” he added.
The policy, he said, also takes care of making Kannada books available in educational institutions.
“Under the policy, we have defined the terms and conditions for procurement of Kannada books by educational institutions and agencies such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,” he said.
According to him, more than 7,000 Kannada books were published last year, making a strong case for the Kannada Book Policy to come in place