'Proposals approved for 12 states under national libraries mission'

NEW DELHI: There is no scope for the setting up of new libraries under the 'National Mission on Libraries (NML)', the government today said while announcing that project estimates of 12 states have been approved for the upgrade of libraries.

"The proposals of 12 states have been approved and fund released to three of them," Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

However, he added that "there is no scope of establishment of new libraries under the scheme of National Mission on Libraries".

The approved project estimate of State Central Libraries and District Libraries in 12 states for infrastructure and technology upgrade under NML covers Rs 2.06 crore for State Central Library, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh and Rs 2.23 crore each for HKM State Library, Bhubaneshwar (Odisha); Krishnadas Shama State Central Library (Goa); State Central Library, Bangalore (Karnataka); Birchandra State Central Library, Agartala (Tripura) and State Central Library, Itanagar ( Arunachal Pradesh).

Other approvals include Rs 2.22 crore for State Central Library, Kolkata (West Bengal); Rs 1.12 crore for State Central Library, Hyderabad (Telangana), about Rs 1 crore each for State Central Library, Aizawl (Mizoram), State Central Library, Jaipur (Rajasthan) and State Central Library, Gandhinagar (Gujarat).

Approved project estimates for libraries under the Ministry of Culture include Rs 2.34 crore for Delhi Public Library and Rs 4.52 crore for Central Secretariat Library in the national capital, Rs 3.98 crore for Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna ( Bihar); Rs 6.91 crore for Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal Library, Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) and Rs 4.26 crore for National Library, Kolkata.

Sharma said the scheme of 'National Mission on Libraries - Upgradation of Libraries - providing services to the public' has been approved with a total outlay of Rs 400 crore for the 12th Plan period.

The components of NML are creation of national virtual library of India (NVLI) and NML model libraries, quantitative and qualitative survey of libraries and capacity building, he said.

The minister said that the Mission will improve the infrastructure at selected libraries and upgrade technology in 35 State Central Libraries and 35 District Libraries (to be identified by state governments) and six libraries under the Ministry of Culture.