Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad   

Rs. 300-crore plan for libraries cleared

Staff Correspondent

Buildings for 1,000 libraries

DHARWAD: A Rs. 300-crore plan to be implemented in five years has been chalked out for construction of buildings for libraries in all gram panchayats, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Libraries Basavaraj Horatti has said.

The Minister told presspersons here on Saturday that according to the plan 1,000 library buildings would be built every year at a cost of Rs. 4 lakh and in five years all the gram panchayats would have library buildings.

Children's libraries

Already "Children's Libraries" have become functional in every district centre.

These libraries will be functioning in the libraries or the Bal Bhavan and for the purpose a grant of Rs. 5.25 crore (Rs. 3 lakh for each library) had been released, he said.

The Minister said there were 3,000 mobile community centres in the State to which library facility would be provided in a phased manner.

A plan was being chalked out to provide library facility to 400 centres every year.

To a question, the Minister said libraries had been set up in almost all slums of Bangalore and similarly library facility would be extended to 2,500 slums across the State.

A model library

Taking the library in Shravanabelagola as model, a library dedicated to Kannada poet, Ranna, would be set up at Mudhol in Bagalkot district and Rs. 1 crore had been released for the purpose, he said.

To a question, he said Rs. 17 core had been allocated for the purchase of books for the libraries this financial year.

Take over

The Minister announced that the Department of Libraries would take over the age-old Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Library in Hubli and develop it into a state-of-the-art library.

It had been decided to develop the library at a cost of Rs. 4.5 crore and provide all facilities and books keeping in mind the latest requirements.

The present central library building in Dharwad would be expanded and Rs. 50 lakh sanctioned for the purpose, he said.

Recruitment

The Minister said the Finance Department had sanctioned appointments to 383 vacancies in the Department of Libraries and the recruitment would begin next month.

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