Printers in Andhra Pradesh fear loss of livelihood due to uncertainty over paper supply by govt.

Around 60 persons in and around Vijayawada, engaged in the business of printing and supplying textbooks and workbooks to the Andhra Pradesh government for the last 25 years, are living in uncertainty over their future, as the government recently issued a notice inviting tenders from across the country for procuring paper and supply of books. Usually, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) supplies paper to the Andhra Pradesh government, which, in turn, supplies the same to printers in the State. The printers, around 60 in number, all having small-scale units with not more than three printing machines, then print the books that are then sent to the government schools in the State.

Around 60 persons in and around Vijayawada, engaged in the business of printing and supplying textbooks and workbooks to the Andhra Pradesh government for the last 25 years, are living in uncertainty over their future, as the government recently issued a notice inviting tenders from across the country for procuring paper and supply of books.

Usually, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) supplies paper to the Andhra Pradesh government, which, in turn, supplies the same to printers in the State. The printers, around 60 in number, all having small-scale units with not more than three printing machines, then print the books that are then sent to the government schools in the State.

With the Department of Andhra Pradesh Government Text Book Press (APGTBP) floating tenders on February 2 for supply and procurement of paper, the small-scale printers fear loss of livelihoods.

“Every year, 18,000 tonnes of paper is required to print 400 varieties of textbooks for the students of Class I to X. They are supplied to government schools across the State. Around 60 printers in the State, most of them in Vijayawada, print 5 lakh to 6 lakh books individually. With nearly 140 machines, it takes us more than two months for printing. Procuring paper on our own is next to impossible for us, given the small turnovers we have. We need to spend ₹180 crore to procure the required quantity of paper,” says a member of the Andhra Pradesh Web Offset Printers’ Association on the condition of anonymity.

Also, a clause in the ‘Eligibility’ section of the tender says that those who have had an annual turnover of ₹10 crore in any of the last five years are eligible to apply. “The maximum turnover we see in a year is not more than ₹1 crore. This leaves out all of us,” the member says.

At his unit, around 70 staffers, including those engaged in printing and binding, work. “Around 60 MSMEs will have to be shut down, more than 2 lakh indirect and 50,000 direct employees will be affected if the government stops supplying paper to us. We have been involved in this work for the last 25 years. We do not have any other source of income,” the member says.

Another printer says that they get an income of ₹45 lakh per machine and the expenditures come to ₹35 lakh. “The government has not yet cleared the last year’s bills, amounting to ₹56 crore. We are waiting,” he says.