Prayagraj: To tighten the noose around those involved in printing duplicate textbooks and selling them to students at inflated prices, the UP Board has, for the first time, decided to make board prescribed books available through an online portal along with home delivery facilities.The Board has introduced the new system for the academic session 2026-27 with the aim of ensuring easy availability of genuine textbooks to students across the state, particularly those living in remote areas. Officials believe the move will help curb the circulation of pirated and duplicate books, which has become a major concern in recent years.Under the new arrangement, students of Classes 9 to 10 studying in govt, aided and recognised private schools will be able to purchase authorised textbooks online without paying any additional delivery charges. The board has launched a student-friendly portal, Pioneer Books Portal, through which students can directly access and order book sets class-wise.According to Secretary, UP Board, Bhagwati Singh, the online portal has been integrated with Amazon India for smooth home delivery of books. Initially, complete book sets for Classes 9 and 10 will be made available online, while other classes may also be included gradually.The board has prescribed 70 NCERT textbooks covering 36 subjects for high school and intermediate classes. Subjects include English, Science, Mathematics, Social Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Business Studies, Accountancy, Psychology and Home Science. Apart from these, 12 textbooks for Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu subjects for Classes 9 to 12 are also made available by board.For printing and distribution, the board has authorised three publishers — Pioneer Printers and Publishers, Agra, Pitambara Books Private Limited, Jhansi and Singhal Agencies, Lucknow. These books have already been made available through wholesale and retail sellers across districts since Feb this year.The Secretary said, “The initiative has been launched to ensure easy availability of genuine textbooks to students and to simplify the process of purchasing books from home. The move is expected to bring greater transparency in textbook distribution and provide relief to students and parents who often struggle to identify original board-approved books in the market,” he added.
