{
  "id": 18957129,
  "title": "Jean Drèze urges T.N. govt. to take strict action amid report of ‘fake book’ at Kalaignar Centenary Library",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/jean-dreze-urges-t-n-govt-to-take-strict-action-amid-report-of-fake",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-08T14:42:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/jean-dreze-fake-book-publisher-tn-madurai-kalaignar-centenary-library/article71681030.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Renowned economist Jean Drèze expressed concern on Sunday (November 8, 2026) over the discovery of an English-language book, allegedly authored by him, in some public libraries of Tamil Nadu. The book in question, titled 'Democracy and Peoples Right in the Contemporary World', was reportedly found in Madurai’s Kalaignar Centenary Library. In response, Drèze clarified to The Hindu via email that he has never authored such a book, calling the publication 'fake'. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to take \"strict and swift action against the publishers and other culprits\" to curb the spread of such fraudulent literature. Drèze also questioned the procurement checks in place at public libraries, stating that it would have been relatively easy to verify the authenticity of the book before its procurement. The book was allegedly purchased from Phoenix Publishers, whose address was claimed to be identical to that of Akal Vilakku Publishers. The procurement date stated in the report, June 25, 2023, occurred before the library's inauguration on July 15, 2023.",
  "summary": "“It is important to stem the rot before it spreads, all the more so if this book was AI-generated,” the economist said in a clarification via e-mail to The Hindu",
  "key_points": [
    "Renowned economist Jean Drèze expressed concern over fake book in Tamil Nadu libraries.",
    "Drèze urged strict action from Tamil Nadu government to curb spread of fraudulent literature."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}