Welcome to our Annual General Meeting of the Delhi State Booksellers and Publishers Association. I stand before you today with immense pride and excitement as we gather to reflect on our achievements and chart the course for the future. I have great pleasure in presenting before you our 75th annual report on the working of our association during 2024-25.
1. Executive Committee Meetings : During this year we were able to hold five meeting which were held at DSBPA secretariat. The meetings were attended by Executive Members in good numbers. All meetings were held in very cordial atmosphere with active participation from all.
2. Enrolment of Members: During this year we have enrolled nineteen new members in our family. We welcome all of them.
3. Sub-Committees: This year we formed eight sub-committees to discuss the different issues related to them. The committee includes, Membership Screening Committee, Public Relation Committee, Legal Cell Committee, Library Committee, Social Media Committee, Newsletter/Publications Committee, Trade Matter Committee and Award Committee. All these sub-committees were actively involved and contributed to the cause of Book Trade from time to time.
4. Engagement with NBT: A delegation from DSBPA met Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director of NBT, and presented him with Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Industry Award. DSBPA has a great rapport with Director NBT and we like to applaud the support given by Sh. Yuvraj Malik Ji to DSBPA from time to time.
5. Vendor Empanelment Concerns: DSBPA took strong action against unfair vendor empanelment policies of institutions such as:
NIT Patna
BAU Bhagalpur
Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla
Maharaja Surajmal Brij University, Bharatpur
Letters of concern were sent to respective authorities.
6. New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2025: DSBPA actively engaged with NBT to discuss arrangements at NDWBF 2025 and was granted a complimentary stall. Preparations were appreciated, and further suggestions were submitted including:
• Avoidance of date clashes with other fairs
• Improved facilities for senior citizens and differently abled visitors
• Restriction on sale of refreshments from stalls etc.
7. New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2025: Work on the 2025 edition of the Members Directory has been completed and the Directory was published in 2025. DSBPA thanks all members who have contributed by giving advertisements in DSBPA 2025 directory.
8. Customs Duty Representation: A representation was sent to Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting removal of the 5% customs duty on books to ensure better accessibility of educational resources. The interviews of President DSBPA Mr. Himanshu Chawla appeared in a number of media posts.
9. AI Workshop: An AI Workshop was conducted on World Copyright Day that is 23rd April. DSBPA involved an expert on the subject who gave a comprehensive presentation on the usage of AI in the publishing industry in the context of Copyright and Trademarks further strengthening our engagement with technology trends in the publishing industry.
10. DSBPA featured in Trade Magazine ‘All About Book Publishing’: DSBPA was featured in the prestigious trade magazine ALL ABOUT BOOK PUBLISHING. We appreciate the President for this feat and many thanks to the Editor of the aforementioned magazine Ms. Shweta for the same. And also DSBPA negotiated a discounted price for all our members to advertise products in this reputed book publishing magazine.
11. Financial Report: The audited annual accounts for 2024-25, presented by Treasurer, Mr. Chander Mani Gosain, were adopted by the Executive Committee. A copy is annexed to this report.
12. Membership Fee Revision: The Executive Committee approved a modest increase in membership fees effective next financial year:
• Annual Membership Fee: Rs. 2,500 (previously Rs. 2,000)
• New Membership Fee: Rs. 4,000 (previously Rs. 3,500)
13. 75th Annual General Meeting: The 75th AGM is being held today, 4th October 2025, at India Habitat Centre (Jacaranda Hall). To ensure continuity, the Executive Committee passed a resolution to retain the current office bearers for the second year of their two-year term, as per DSBPA constitution.
Vote of Thanks
I express my heartfelt gratitude to our President Shri Himanshu Chawla Ji, Vice President Shri Ashok Gosain Ji, Joint Secretary Shri Shubham Jain Ji, Treasurer Shri Chander Mani Gosain Ji, and all Executive Members for their tireless efforts, insightful guidance, and dedicated support throughout the year.
A special thanks to Mr. Manoj Kumar, our Executive Secretary, and Mr. Chander Bisht our office staff for their excellent administrative support.
SecretaryKartik Raj Kushvah
