Punjab Newsline | Mohali
In a major relief for students and parents, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has launched its own e-commerce platform, 'Pustak Portal', to eliminate overcharging by private book sellers and ensure affordable access to textbooks.
With this initiative, Punjab has become the first education board in India to introduce a dedicated online portal for textbook sales. The move is expected to benefit more than 1.2 million students across the state, helping families save an estimated ₹21.5 crore every year.
PSEB Chairman (Retired IAS) Dr. Amarpal Singh said that students, parents and schools can now order textbooks directly through the portal. All books purchased via the platform will be available at a flat 15% discount on the printed price.
The new system aims to end arbitrary pricing by private book sellers. Schools will only assist in distributing books and will not be allowed to charge even ₹1 above the board-approved price.
The board has printed nearly 22.5 million textbooks covering 361 titles in Punjabi, English and Hindi medium for the current academic session.
To improve accessibility, PSEB has established 97 delivery and pick-up centres across Punjab. Students and parents collecting books from these centres will not have to pay any additional charges. Books can also be purchased directly from PSEB district offices at the same 15% discounted rate.
For home delivery, PSEB has partnered with India Post to launch the 'Gyan Post Scheme'. Under the scheme, parcels weighing up to 5 kg will be delivered at highly subsidised rates, with delivery charges ranging from ₹20 to ₹100, making textbook access more affordable and convenient for families across the state.
