Union Home Minister Amit Shah has appealed to the younger generation to connect with libraries, highlighting their significant role in shaping an individual’s personality.
Inaugurating the Jayaprakash Narayan Public Library in New Delhi today, Mr Shah said that Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan was a great freedom fighter, thinker, and national leader who made remarkable contributions to the country. He emphasised that reading is essential for understanding the country and its people. Highlighting the role of libraries in nation-building, the Home Minister said, they are a powerful medium for spreading country’s culture and knowledge among the masses along with modern education.
Mr Shah said that all activities that contribute to nation-building and bring glory to the country are rooted in knowledge, which transforms into wisdom and prudence when applied in practice. He said, libraries are a vital source of such knowledge. Mr Shah underlined that the government has made efforts to connect libraries with schools to encourage reading among students. He further mentioned that in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, libraries had been opened in every village, each containing around 3 thousand to 4 thousand books. He added that these libraries are connected to a central library that has a collection of over 1.25 lakh books.
Mr Shah urged the Delhi Government to interconnect all libraries across the city and formulate a comprehensive plan to link them with schools. He said that a well-defined action plan should be prepared to encourage book lovers to engage with libraries. He also appealed to the staff of the Jayaprakash Narayan Public Library to reach out to all schools in the ten Assembly constituencies surrounding New Delhi, connect young people with the library, and motivate them to visit. He said that once young people develop the habit of reading, they will continue to pursue it on their own.
Union Home Minister said that the Jayaprakash Narayan Public Library houses a collection of over 32,000 books. He added that the library features dedicated facilities for researchers, a modern multi-purpose auditorium, a contemporary reading area, a children’s zone, a research centre, and an e-library providing access to one crore online books. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the library. He said that several monitors have also been installed, enabling visitors to take notes, download material, and further develop their ideas while studying. The library is equipped with a state-of-the-art RFID-based book management system.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma, Chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Keshav Chandra, and several other distinguished dignitaries were present on the occasion.
