New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) Book proposals by 43 young authors below the age of 30 years were selected through an all-India contest, in 22 official Indian languages, and have been selected under the Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors (PM-YUVA 3.0), an official said on Tuesday.

Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the scheme aims to encourage young writers to contribute to nation-building through their writing and ideas.

It is being implemented by the National Book Trust, India, under the Ministry of Education, and has been announced on the website of NBT-India, said a statement.

Under this edition, book proposals by 43 young authors below the age of 30 years were selected through an All-India contest, in 22 official Indian languages and English, including Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Maithili, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

The broad language participation strengthens the scheme’s objective of promoting inclusive literary development across India. Of the 43 selected authors, 19 are women, and 24 are men, said the statement.

These selected book proposals will be developed into books under the six-month mentorship of eminent scholars. Each selected author will also receive a scholarship of Rs 50,000 per month and a lifetime royalty of 10 per cent on their published book.

The themes for PM-YUVA 3.0 were: Contribution of Indian Diaspora in Nation Building, Indian Knowledge System, and Makers of Modern India (1950–2025).

The selected manuscripts are non-fiction works that reflect India’s past, present and future through topics like history, culture, science, philosophy, governance, social reform and India’s global engagement.

A National Camp of the selected authors will be organised during the upcoming New Delhi World Book Fair (10-18 January 2026).

The first set of books under PM-YUVA 3.0 will be published next year, to nurture a new generation of writers to represent Indian literature and thought in India and abroad.

–IANS

rch/dan