NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Human Resource Development on Monday appointed Baldev Sharma, former editor of RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya, as the new chairperson of National Book Trust (NBT). His tenure will be for a period of three years.
The 59-year-old is currently working as an editor in a hindi daily and his journalistic career spans 35 years. Sharma told Express that he was editor of RSS weekly Panchjanya from 2008-2013 and also worked in various hindi newspapers in Gwalior, Raipur, Varanasi and Panipat.
He will replace A Sethumadhavan, who put in his papers last week, even though his tenure would have ended only in September. Popularly known as Sethu, he is known for modern Malayalam fiction.
As chairman of the NBT, Sharma’s role will be to oversee publications of books in regional Indian languages, apart from English and Hindi.
Set up in 1957, the NBT is mandated to publish classical literature, works of Indian authors and translations in other Indian languages, apart from making foreign authors accessible in Indian languages.
The trust also holds book fairs, organises book clubs, across the country.
Meanwhile in a separate order, the Centre reconstituted the 18-member council of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), packing it with some intellectuals with Sangh background.
The new team comprises academicians dealing mostly in ancient Indian history, Narayan Rao, a professor at Berhampur University in Odisha, and Ishwar Sharan Vishwakarma, a professor of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture at Gorakhpur University. Both of them are members of the RSS backed history research organisation, Itihas Sankalan Samiti.
While, Rao is the national vice-president, Vishwakarma is secretary of this Sangh affiliated body.
The new team of the ICHR would have tenure of three years.