The existing textbooks publishing contract that was awarded before the bifurcation to five companies of which only one is from Telangana is reluctantly being considered to be scrapped by the Telangana government.
 
About three crore textbooks for Classes I to X are printed in an academic year and around 2.4 crore textbooks are distributed for free in government schools while the rest are sold to private school students. Fresh tenders are called for printing every three years and the last was in 2014, before the bifurcation. While one of the current contract holders is from Telangana, the remaining four are from Andhra Pradesh. Local printers are demanding that the state government call for fresh tenders and scrap the existing contracts.
 
Telangana Political JAC convener Prof. M. Kodandaram justifying the demand, said that the Telangana printing industry will also flourish and that there is no need for printers from other states to print the books. Meanwhile, local printers say that the work is being outsourced by the current contract holders. With printing yet to begin, the academic schedule is now under threat as the delivery of textbooks may miss the deadline.
 
A senior school education department official informed that the file over the issue has been sent to the law department and the outcome will be based on the government’s decision.A legal opinion is being sought by the officials on the ramifications of cancelling the existing contracts. The final decision is to be taken by the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao as the officials remain worried over the capability of local printers as the delivery of 60 lakh books across the state is a huge task and the risk involved at this time of the year.