New Delhi: The New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 became a platform for the government’s push to nurture young literary talent as Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday interacted with 43 authors selected under the PM-YUVA 3.0 (Prime Minister’s Young Authors Mentorship Scheme).
Held at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya on the sidelines of the fair, the interaction saw the young writers present overviews of their forthcoming manuscripts being developed under a six-month mentorship programme. Pradhan congratulated the authors and urged them to use the mentoring period to produce meaningful works that inspire reading, writing and critical engagement among India’s youth.
Emphasising the role of robust research in quality writing, the minister directed that the authors be given access to both physical and digital resources through the National Book Trust (NBT). He also said they should benefit from the ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ (ONOS) initiative, aimed at widening access to academic journals and research databases.
To deepen academic support, Pradhan proposed affiliating the selected authors with central universities in their respective regions, enabling closer interaction with scholars and access to institutional libraries and research facilities.
The minister noted that the diversity of participants at the World Book Fair mirrored India’s own diversity. The authors are writing on themes such as the contribution of the Indian diaspora to nation-building, the Indian Knowledge System and the makers of modern India—topics he said resonate with the vision of a “Viksit Bharat”.
The 43 PM-YUVA 3.0 authors are part of a national camp being organised during the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026, which is underway from January 10 to 18 at Bharat Mandapam. The fair is being organised by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the National Book Trust and was inaugurated on January 10 by Dharmendra Pradhan.