Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Jayaprakash Narayan Public Library on Udyan Marg in New Delhi, unveiling a modern, multimedia knowledge hub built by the New Delhi Municipal Council as part of its push to expand access to learning resources for the capital’s residents. The launch marks a significant addition to New Delhi’s public infrastructure for education and research.
The three storey facility has been designed as a fully integrated digital and physical library, capable of accommodating two hundred readers simultaneously. Its physical collection houses more than thirty thousand books spanning a wide range of subjects, offering students, researchers, and general readers a substantial repository of printed material under one roof.
Beyond its physical holdings, the library’s standout feature is an advanced e-library section that has been developed to give members access to a host of online library memberships. Through this digital gateway, readers will be able to tap into more than five lakh e-books and digital catalogues, effectively multiplying the resources available to them well beyond what a conventional public library could offer. This blend of physical and digital access reflects a broader trend among Indian civic bodies to modernise public institutions for a generation of readers who move fluidly between print and screen.
Officials associated with the project have described the initiative as part of a wider effort to strengthen learning infrastructure in the capital, with particular emphasis on serving students and researchers who require reliable access to both curated print collections and vast digital archives. The library’s location on Udyan Marg places it within easy reach of several educational institutions in the area, positioning it as a convenient resource hub for young learners.
The inauguration by a senior Union minister also signals the importance the government attaches to public library infrastructure as a tool of civic development, particularly at a time when digital literacy and access to information are increasingly viewed as essential public goods. The NDMC, which has overseen the construction and will manage the facility going forward, is expected to expand programming around the library in the coming months, including reading initiatives and digital literacy drives aimed at widening its reach across different age groups and communities in New Delhi.
