New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS) Perturbed by the dwindling interest in reading among youngsters, the National Book Trust (NBT) is doing a readership survey amongst the youth of the country. The aim is to assess their reading habits and then publish more books that interest them.

'We often say that youngsters these days just don't read much. In order to really assess the situation, we are conducting a national readership survey amongst the youth to see how much they read and what do they read,' Bipan Chandra, chairman of the National Book Trust (NBT), told IANS Thursday.

The survey is being conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research.

'Based on the survey's results, we will seek a change in the policy of the publishing industry. We will try and publish more books that the youngsters would like to read,' he added.

Chandra said in general he does not see a wane in the interest in books among people.

'For instance, four years back the NBT Readers Club had 38,000 members. Today it has doubled to 70,000. So, there is no dip in the interest. But of course we have to ensure that our youngsters don't stop reading,' he said.

The NBT is organising the 19th edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair from Saturday at Pragati Maidan in the capital. The fair, which will see 1,200 Indian and foreign publishers showcasing their books, will end Feb 7.