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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE
RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.213#
TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.03.2026
NATIONAL MISSION ON LIBRARIES
*213# DR. DINESH SHARMA:
Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:
a) the status of implementation of National Mission on Libraries, including the number
of libraries upgraded and digitized during the last three years, State-wise;
b) the status of modernization of public library infrastructure, along with the details of
major reforms undertaken to expand digital access through national platforms and
for capacity building of library professionals;
c) the details of improvements made in public accessibility, utilization and preservation
of knowledge resources, State-wise; and
d) whether the impact of reforms under the Mission has been assessed in terms of
accessibility, utility and long-term sustainability and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)
(a) to (d) A statement is laid on the table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (d) OF RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.213# FOR REPLY 12.03.2026 REGARDING
“NATIONAL MISSION ON LIBRARIES” ASKED BY DR. DINESH SHARMA,
HON’BLE MP.
(a) to (d) The Ministry of Culture through National Mission on Libraries (NML) Scheme,
under its ‘Setting up of NML Model Library’ component, provides financial assistance to one
State Central Library and one District Library in each State /UT on the recommendation of
the State Authorities concerned and 6 Libraries identified by Ministry of Culture. The
financial assistance is provided for i) Up-gradation of Infrastructure, ii) Modernization of
Technology & Modernization of Services, iii) Creation of Facilities for Specially abled users
and iv) Subscription of E-journals/E-books for selected Libraries under NML, v) Network
Connectivity for District Libraries, vi) Procurement of Reading resources and Advocacy &
Outreach programs etc. The details of financial assistance provided to State /UT under NML
during the last three years are given at Annexure-A.
The Indian Culture Portal (ICP) provides a unified digital platform offering access to diverse
cultural and knowledge resources from across the country by enabling online access to
curated and original content. It promotes and showcases both the tangible and intangible
cultural heritage of India through various categories which include manuscripts, museum
artifacts, paintings, archival photographs, food and culture, musical instruments of India,
archival documents, social practices, rituals, and festivals, Oral traditions and expressions and
rare books, etc. These details are provided for every region of India and from Indus Valley
Civilization to the present.
The Capacity Building Programmes (CBP) are also organized under the NML across the
Country to provide training to library professionals of all States/UTs. Till date 54 number of
CBP have been organized and 2465 library professional have been trained.
An evaluation of NML has been carried out by Quality Council of India and the Report was
submitted in November, 2025. As per QCI Report, the National Mission on Libraries
remains a significant intervention for India’s transition into a knowledge-based society. It
has contributed to digital access, infrastructure upgrades, and staff capacity building.Annexure-A
Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Rajya Sabha Starred Question
No.*213# for reply on 12th March, 2026 regarding “National Mission on
Libraries”.
State wise details of funds released under NML Model Library Scheme
Sl. No. State No. of the Total Released
Library (from 01.04.2022 to 31.03.2025)
(Rs. in lakhs)
1 Arunachal Pradesh 1 18.58
2 Andaman & Nicobar 2 310.00
3 Bihar 2 67.71
4 Chandigarh 2 247.22
5 Chhattisgarh 1 51.05
6 Goa 1 8.05
7 Gujarat 1 87.00
8 Haryana 2 168.85
9 Himachal Pradesh 2 154.67
10 Jammu & Kashmir 2 132.50
11 Karnataka 2 40.71
13 Kerala 2 64.26
14 Lakshadweep 2 115.64
15 Madhya Pradesh 1 9.69
16 Manipur 2 46.25
17 Meghalaya 2 100.00
18 Pondicherry 1 10.05
19 Sikkim 2 303.78
20 Telangana 1 17.82
21 Tripura 2 40.97
22 Uttarakhand 1 50.00
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