PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 19 -- In a move to enhance accessibility and affordability of textbooks, the Uttar Pradesh Board has, for the first time, directed publishers to supply NCERT-based textbooks issued under its mandate directly to all 75 districts of the state. This change, introduced for the 2026-27 academic session, is expected to benefit over one crore students of Classes 9 to 12 across more than 28,000 UP Board-affiliated schools. Unlike previous years, when local retailers were responsible for procuring textbooks, the Board has now made it mandatory in its latest tender for publishers to handle distribution directly, officials said. "This early start in the publication and supply process, five months ahead of the usual schedule, means textbooks will be available in markets well before the academic session begins on April 1," they claimed. To encourage widespread distribution, the Board has also introduced a 20% commission for local retailers, making them more inclined to stock and sell the official, affordable NCERT-based books. This step, officials said, was likely to prevent the need for students to purchase costly, unauthorised alternatives, which had become common due to previous delays in distribution. UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh confirmed that it was the first time such a provision had been included in the tender process. For the 2026-27 session, the UP Board will publish 70 NCERT-licensed textbooks across 36 subjects, in addition to 12 subject-specific titles in Hindi, Sanskrit, and Urdu. In a notable shift, the UP Board has also outpaced the basic education department, which typically begins the tendering process for free textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 by November or December. In contrast, the Board previously floated tenders as late as February or March, resulting in textbooks often arriving in markets as late as July. As a result, students were frequently compelled to buy expensive, unofficial alternatives at the start of the academic year in April, undermining the state government's objective of providing affordable, standardised learning material. This will mark the first time in nearly a decade that UP Board students will have access to official NCERT textbooks before April 1. Although NCERT books were introduced in UP Board schools back in 2016, timely availability remained a longstanding issue, officials said....