HRD minister launches '#MyBookMyFriend' campaign on World Book Day

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Team Careers360 | April 23, 2020 | 04:29 PM IST

NEW DELHI: On World Book Day, the human resource development (HRD) minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, has launched '#MyBookMyFriend' campaign on Twitter, as the citizens of India remain confined to their homes due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Wishing everyone “Happy World Book Day” on a video uploaded on his official Twitter account, the HRD minister said: “There could be no better friend, better strength, better motivator, better mentor than books.”

He further said that “books are like strong rocky mountains which support and stand by our side through all phases and difficulties of life.”

Celebrated on April 23 every year, World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day, is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright.

Advising the students to read some other books besides their course and textbooks, he said:“Students must try to find time to read two or three books with full vigour and they should also observe how the learnings from these books give them inspiration in their lives.”

On his official Twitter handle, he wrote, “साथियों, विश्व पुस्तक दिवस की आपको हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। कहा गया है कि "जब आप एक पुस्तक खोलते हैं तो आप एक नई दुनिया खोलते हैं। मेरा आग्रह है कि आप सभी एक पुस्तक पढ़कर उसके बारे में #MyBookMyFriend के साथ मुझे बताएं की आप इस समय कौन सी पुस्तक पढ़ रहें हैं |”

Encouraging everyone to read, he nominated finance minister nirmala Sitharaman, railway minister Piyush Goyal, and information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar to share what they are reading. He also asked the celebrities in different fields to share the book they are reading and their views on social media with the hashtag '#MyBookMyFriend'.

On March 25, the National Book Trust (NBT) had also launched StayHomeIndiaWithBooks initiative to encourage people to read while they stay at home.

The education minister is also going to address a webinar organized by National Book Trust and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) on the occasion of 'World Book and Copyright Day' today at 3 pm.