2nd Ganga Pustak Parikrama To Conclude At Gangasagar on 11 January 2024

The 2nd edition of the Ganga Pustak Parikrama launched by the National Book Trust (NBT) under its Gyan Ganga Initiative will conclude at Gangasagar in West Bengal on 11 January 2024. The Ganga Pustak Parikrama was launched on 7 November at Gangotri, Uttrakhand, the origin place of the river Ganga. 

The first edition of the Ganga Pustak Parikrama was launched by the NBT from 3 November 2022 to 22 December 2022 in 20 cities along the river Ganga.

Ganga Pustak Parikrama 

The Ganga Pustak Parikrama of the NBT follows the course of the river Ganga, from Gangotri to Ganga Sagar, visiting 20 cities with its book van to promote books written by local authors and celebrate the literary figures of the city.

Under the Gyan Ganga initiative, NBT aims to preserve, celebrate, and encourage the flow of knowledge along the river. 

Cities to be Covered 

The Ganga Pustak Parikrama would be held in 20 cities along the banks of the Ganges in the Five States.

• Uttarakhand : Gangotri( Uttarkashi), Rishikesh,Haridwar(3 cites).
• Uttar Pradesh: Bijnor, Meerut, Aligarh, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Mirzpur, Varanasi(8 cities) 
• Bihar :Chhapra, Patna, Begusarai,Sultanganj, Bhagalpur(5 cites).
• Jharkhand: Sahibganj, Bahrampur (2 cities)
• West Bengal: Kolkata and Gangasagar (2 Cities).

National Book Trust 

The National Book Trust (NBT) was established as an apex body by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Government of India in 1957. 

The main objectives of the NBT are to ;

• Publish classical literature of India 
• Publication of Indian author's work and translation into other Indian languages.
• Translation of foreign books into Indian language
• Publication of modern scientific books and their popularisation amongst the public. 

The other activities of NBT include publishing non-textbooks, organising book fairs and book exhibitions, conducting literary events for children, participating in international book fairs to promote Indian literature, etc.

The NBT organises the annual New Delhi World Book Fair. It's the largest book event in the Afro-Asian region. 

Headquarters of NBT: New Delhi

About River Ganga 

• The Ganga River originates from the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Here, it’s known as the Bhagirathi.
• At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda river; hereafter, it is known as the Ganga. 
• The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar. 
• The Ganga river is the largest flowing river in India. Its length is 2525 Km.
• The river flows through five states. It flows in Uttarakhand (110 km), Uttar Pradesh (1,450 km), Bihar (445 km), Jharkhand (40 Km) and West Bengal (520 km). 
• The Ganga basin covers about 8.6 lakh sq. km area in India.
• The Ganga river is called Padma in Bangladesh. It merges with Brahmaputra (called Jamuna in Bangladesh) to create the world's largest delta, the Sunderban Delta.
• The river falls into the Bay of Bengal sea near the Sagar Island in West Bengal.
• The Yamuna River is the longest tributary of the Ganga.