Coming soon: A library for each ward in the city

The objective of setting up the libraries to help the public develop reading skills and also help students prepare for exams.
| Photo Credit: file photo

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is planning to establish libraries in all 243 wards in the city. BBMP administrator Rakesh Singh held a meeting recently with the Department of Public Libraries and directed officials to prepare a report on setting up the libraries.

Mr. Singh said, “The libraries will help the public to develop reading skills, and also help school and college students read books and prepare for exams. Hence, we have directed officials to come up with the plan to set up libraries in all wards of the city.”

“The BBMP will set up these libraries on properties belonging to the civic body. We will also talk to various non-governmental organisations that are interested in sharing books to these libraries,” he added.

Apart from this, the civic body will also build quarters near to the libraries where the library employees can stay. According to BBMP officials, this will make the libraries run efficiently and on time.

Officials said there are more than 200 libraries across the city run by the BBMP and the Department of Public Libraries. Last year, a 10-member delegation of the BBMP visited various cities in Northern India to study new trends in library science and its maintenance.

A BBMP official said they have studied about the public libraries in Delhi and Prayagraj, which are successful in helping youngsters there to achieve academic excellence and write competitive exams.

In March this year, the Karnataka government launched Grama Digi Vikasana, an initiative by Sikshana Foundation, a Bengaluru-based NGO in association with Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department and Dell Technologies. Under the programme, gram panchayat libraries would be upgraded with digital devices aimed at providing shared digital access to the rural population.