India, June 9 -- Ahead of the new academic year 2025-26, the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production (Balbharati) has completed the distribution of 99% of textbooks, said officials.

"Schools are starting from June 16. Books have reached everywhere, except for minor exceptions. This year, 5.7 crore books were printed as per demand. As per the decision taken by the state government, books for Class 1 have been made available as per New Education Policy (NEP)," said Krishnakumar Patil, director, Balbharati.

Last year, the distribution of textbooks by Balbharati faced several issues, such as delays in the delivery of textbooks, especially in remote areas. Many students received books many weeks after school began, and several textbo...