Chennai, Nov 10:
The Tamil Nadu government has ordered an immediate halt to all ongoing library book procurements across the state, while the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) carried out an inspection at the Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram to review purchasing records sanctioned during the previous administration.
Announcing the suspension of current book orders, School Education Minister A. Rajmohan stated that the state will formulate a new, transparent purchasing policy designed to eliminate irregularities, intermediary favoritism, and substandard selections. The policy overhaul follows complaints that established editorial standards and vetting committees were bypassed to procure poor-quality titles and self-published volumes at inflated margins. Rajmohan affirmed that the updated procurement framework will be drafted in consultation with literary figures, independent authors, and representatives of the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) to ensure libraries receive credible academic, reference, and literary works.
Concurrently, a DVAC team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Kandasamy conducted an extensive inspection at the Anna Centenary Library. The investigators examined procurement files, vendor empanelment lists, billing invoices, and committee approval registers associated with modern library initiatives, including the recently opened Periyar Arivulagam facility in Coimbatore.
The vigilance review comes in the wake of public allegations raised by Sahitya Akademi awardee Perumal Murugan, who highlighted that unvetted and dummy titlesâincluding AI-generated contentâhad entered library collections through irregular quotas. The scrutiny has already resulted in administrative action, with senior IAS officer Jayanthi recently being divested of her additional post as Director of Public Libraries and replaced by IAS officer Shajeevana to facilitate an unimpeded inquiry into the procurement procedures.