Shri Kamal Nath Urges to have world Class Presses in India
Government of India Press Celebrates 150 Years of Existence
Union Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kamal Nath has urged the Government Presses to achieve excellence in the field of printing and to have a competitive edge in the market. He has asked to upgrade technology so that the Government Press can compete with the private press. Funds would not be a problem for technology upgradation, he added. âOurs is a world class country, why canât we have world class pressesâ, he asked. He was speaking at a function to celebrate 150 years of the existence of Government of India Press and Annual Award presentation in New Delhi today. The Minister presented awards to various officials of the Directorate of Printing for their meritorious performance.
Smt. Deepa Dasmunsi, Minister of State for Urban Development also spoke on this occasion. She emphasised the need to go for skill development through training. While appreciating the hard work of the employees of the Government Press, she also asked them not to forget the root of letter press days. She also announced to set up a museum at Kolkata showcasing the history of printing in India.
The main focus of the two-day Conference is to highlight the functioning of Directorate of Printing/Government of India Presses and to apprise all Ministries/ Departments about the important role being played by the Government of India Presses. Recently, the Government of India Press has been modernized with the induction of latest machinery and equipment so as to emerge as a state-of-the-art, efficient and self-sustainable organization capable of meeting all printing requirements of the Government of India.
The Directorate of Printing, an attached Office of Ministry of Urban Development, is responsible for executing printing jobs of all Ministries/Departments of Government of India along with printing of publications of various Ministries/Departments and also printing of forms for Civil and Defence purposes. Stocking and distribution of various forms for Ministries/Departments, as per their requirements are other important functions of the Directorate.
The Directorate also renders advice from time to time to various State Governments and Central Government Autonomous Bodies, Universities, Public Sector Enterprises on technical matters relating to printing technology. Directorate of Printing has under its administrative control 15 Government of India Presses including 3 Text Book Presses spread over the country. An Office of Assistant Director, Outside Printing Branch, Kolkata, one Forms Store at Kolkata and one Outside Printing Branch at Headquarter also function under the Directorate of Printing.
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