Hyderabad: Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Friday said that the government would organise book fairs annually in every district headquarters by allocating Rs 10 lakh to each district.

The minister made these comments while inaugurating the 38th Hyderabad National Book Fair on Friday. This fair would be held till December 29 and the visiting hours would be 1 pm to 9 pm.

Krishna Rao said that the books that promote values in society should be made available in libraries. “We will sanction Rs 1 crore for the purchase of books. Every home should become a library. Everyone should take responsibility to promote reading. Moral values are declining in society. Writers, literary figures, and authors should take the initiative to enhance these values,” said Krishna Rao. The premises of the 38th Book Fair were named after the people’s poet Ande Sri, while the main stage was named after Anishetty Rajitha and the book launch stage after noted literary figure Kompally Venkat Goud.

A writers’ stall was set up in the name of Professor SV Rama Rao, and media stalls in the name of Swechha Otarkar. The organisers stated that a total of 367 stalls have been set up at the book fair venue, and book launches will take place in six slots every day. They also revealed that a total of 54 books will be launched during the event.