National Mission on Libraries
Context
The Ministry of Culture, through its National Mission on Libraries (NML) Scheme, is planning to modernise and upgrade state central libraries, district libraries, and six libraries under the Ministry of Culture across the country.
Relevance:
GS-02 (Government policies and interventions)
Key Highlights
- The financial assistance was provided for the following:
- Renovation and construction of library spaces.
- Technology upgrade to enhance library services.
- Creation of inclusive facilities to support Specially Abled.
- On region-specific outreach programs.
- A total of ₹7,952.25 lakhs have been sanctioned, with ₹4,302.91 lakhs released to various libraries across India.
- Specific amounts have been allocated for improving libraries in states like Karnataka, Gujarat, and Kerala.
- Constraints in Digitisation: Since libraries fall under the state list in the Constitution, there are no nationwide digitisation plans. However, the Ministry promotes digitisation efforts through financial assistance under the technology upgrade component.
About NML:
- The National Mission on Libraries India is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture.
- The main objective of the National Mission on Libraries is to modernise and digitally link nearly 9,000 libraries across India to provide readers access to books and information.
- The mission was approved on November 28, 2013.
National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM)
- It is a program that aims to unearth and preserve the vast manuscript wealth of India.
- Its biggest and most ambitious project is to create a database of all Indian manuscripts in the country and abroad.
- The National Database of Manuscripts, Kriti Sampada, is available on the mission’s website.
- Institutions like Rampur Raza Library, Rampur, and Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna, are world-renowned for their manuscript collections.
- It was established by the Ministry of Tourism in February 2003.
- India possesses an estimate of ten million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world. These cover a variety of themes, textures, aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations, and illustrations.
