New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan undertook free-wheeling discussions on culture, technology, the pursuit of knowledge, and the national vision with 43 young authors selected under the PM-YUVA 3.0 scheme, an official said on Monday.

The 43 selected authors under the PM-YUVA 3.0 scheme are participating in a national camp being organised during the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 (10–18 January) at Bharat Mandapam.

The Fair is being organised by the Ministry of Education with the National Book Trust and was inaugurated on January 10 by Pradhan.

During the interactive session with Pradhan, the selected authors shared brief overviews of the subjects of their forthcoming manuscripts being developed under the six-month mentorship programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan congratulated the young writers on their selection and encouraged them to make the most of the mentorship period to produce meaningful books that would inspire India’s youth to read, write, and engage deeply with knowledge.

He emphasised the importance of access to research material and directed that both physical and digital resources should be facilitated through the National Book Trust (NBT).

He also stated that the authors should be provided access to resources under the ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ (ONOS) initiative. To strengthen their academic and research support, he suggested that the selected authors be affiliated with central universities in their respective regions to develop their manuscripts.

Pradhan said that he was delighted to engage with the budding writers selected under PM-YUVA 3.0 and noted that the diversity in the room reflected the diversity of India.

He said that the young authors are writing books on the themes of the Contribution of the Indian Diaspora in Nation-building, the Indian Knowledge System, and Makers of Modern India.

He added that the interaction included free-wheeling discussions on culture, technology, the pursuit of knowledge, and the national vision, and said that the energy, confidence, and aspirations of the young authors further strengthened his belief in the vision of a Viksit Bharat.

–IANS

rch/dan