Form to ensure content created harmony: NCPUL

New Delhi: Under attack, the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) Saturday said the declaration form to be filled by authors under its bulk purchase scheme was only to ensure that the content should only create harmony and goodwill among various sections of the society and not otherwise.

NCPUL, which falls under the HRD ministry was reacting to reports that said it had introduced a form which requires authors of books NCPUL acquires annually to declare that the content will not be against the government or the country. The body had faced criticism following the report.

In a clarification issued by it, NCPUL said the form, to be filled by authors, is not something new and this has been the practice for the last many years for the books sponsored by NCPUL.

"Last year a complaint was received by NCPUL that some content of a book under the bulk purchase scheme was not factually correct. Therefore, NCPUL, as a precautionary measure, modified the form with the objective that the content in government-sponsored books should only create harmony and goodwill among various sections of the society and not otherwise," the statement said.

It, however, said that in order "to remove ambiguity, if any, in the form, the same will be considered in the next Executive Board Meeting to make it very clear that the intention of the government is not to keep in check the freedom of expression in any way."