PM has inaugurated the Ekushey Book Fair

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the Ekushey Book Fair.

She inaugurated the Boi Mela at 3pm today through a programme organised at her official residence Ganabhaban.

Eminent artists and citizens participated at the programme.

Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2022 has begun on Tuesday for 14 days, from 15 February to 28 February, dispelling speculations over whether it will take place at all amid the third wave of Covid pandemic.

The Bangla Academy authorities may even extend the Boi Mela if the Covid-19 pandemic situation improves.

State Minister for Cultural Affairs, KM Khalid said this at a Bangla Academy press conference on Monday.

This year, the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela will commemorate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence, the 70 years of the 1952 Language Movement, and the 50th anniversary of the drafting of the country's first Constitution.

Visitors will be allowed to visit the venue from 2pm to 9pm every day. The gates will open at 11am on holidays, but close at 9pm every day.

Only on 21 February, visitors will be allowed to enter at 8am and entrance will be restricted after 8:30pm.

People working at the fair – publishers, stall owners and salespersons – will not be allowed on the mela premises if they are not vaccinated. They have been asked to get their Covid-19 vaccine doses as soon as possible.

The authorities have also requested booklovers to carry their Covid-19 vaccination cards and follow health guidelines when visiting the Boi Mela.

No one will be allowed to enter the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela premises without wearing masks to prevent infections. 

Book publishers and sellers' associations have written to the Bangla Academy wanting the book fair to be extended till March 17, the birthday of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

They urged the Academy to consider their wish, saying the publishers incurred losses at the last fair and business overall in the sector has been down during the long drawn pandemic.

If the fair is only for two weeks, they will incur further losses, the publishers say.