The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has now asked engineering colleges across the country to promote 'large scale use of' books by Indian authors to promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.' According to a letter by the council's Member Secretary Dr Rajeeve Kumar, the AICTE has prepared a 'List of Suggested Books of Indian Authors & Publishers'.
"AICTE strongly believes that such high quality and cost-effective books will definitely aid the students in their better learning of concepts, and in turn improve their quality and simultaneously fulfil the aim of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan," reads the letter. The effective and large-scale use of these Indian Authored books by faculties and students will not only promote many Indian authors globally but will also be a strong step towards fulfilling the mission of "Self-Reliance and Self-Sufficient India". So, in view of above, you are kindly requested to make this "AICTE list of Books by Indian Authority' Publishers" available on your university/ institute website, and contribute your might towards Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan," it further reads.
The AICTE's launch of a model curriculum in 2018 was widely criticised after it introduced an elective course on on ‘Ancient Knowledge Systems’. It had then chosen to endorse a book as a reference book for this course, which made a few unproven claims. It said that Rishi Agastya had invented the electro-voltaic cell and that the Rigveda mentions the speed of light and gravity. This was criticised by many academics at that time.
The term 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' was first used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12, 2020, while addressing the nation about the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown and announcing the economic package. Following this, two other Atmanirbhar packages were announced in October and November.
