Alibaba has announced its plan to launch Mission Million Books, a book donation drive, in India to invite people to donate textbooks and educational material to empower the underprivileged.

The Chinese mobile internet giant said that Mission Million Books is a pan-India initiative with a goal of providing the underserved with access to quality educational materials for their growth and advancement. Alibaba partnered with Crossword, Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust, The World Bank Family Network Book Project, Delivery, Kotak Mahindra Bank, mGage India, Shoppers Stop, HyperCity and Rotary Club of Bombay Worli.

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"Quality education is everyone's right and plays a fundamental role in building character and intelligence at an early age, ultimately shaping a nation," said Guru Gowrappan, Global Managing Director, Alibaba Group.

The books collected would be distributed to more than 2,500 educational institutions across India. Alibaba will also donate over 50,000 books to the campaign while mobile browser UC Web will provide online marketing support to maximize the impact, according to Business Standard. 

Donations can be made between Aug. 18 and Sep. 16 and collection points will be set up in 65 locations across India. Over 1,300 branches of Kotak Mahindra Bank, as well as Shoppers Stop, HyperCity, and Crossword stores across major cities in India will provide support for collecting books, while Rotary Club of Bombay Worli will help with collection, sorting, distributing and donation. In addition, Delivery will arrange book pick-ups via more than 6,000 locations, and mGage India will provide mobile marketing and engagement for the campaign.

The Mission Million Books initiative supports the Indian government’s efforts to enable access to quality education for all, Bureaucracy Today reported. It will provide opportunities for numerous educational institutions to have access to, and enhance the quality of, academic material provided to their students.

TagsAlibaba, Mission Million Books, Mission Million Books campaig, book donation drive, book donation alibaba