NEW DELHI — In a major push for the capital’s educational and cultural infrastructure, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah formally inaugurated the Jayaprakash Narayan Library in New Delhi.
Dedicated to the legacy of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, the state-of-the-art facility is envisioned as a premier center for intellectual discourse, research, and learning for the city’s youth. The inauguration ceremony was attended by prominent dignitaries, including Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta, Delhi Government Minister Shri Parvesh Verma, and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Chairman Shri Keshav Chandra.
Advanced Infrastructure & Digital Assets
The newly inaugurated public library blends expansive physical collections with modern digital infrastructure to create a world-class learning ecosystem:
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Vast Literary Repository: The facility houses a curated physical collection of over 32,000 books, complemented by an extensive digital library providing free access to more than 1 crore e-books.
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Modern Amenities: The building features specialized research zones, a contemporary reading area, a dedicated children’s space, and a high-tech multi-purpose auditorium.
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Tech Integration: Fully equipped with high-speed free Wi-Fi, the library features an advanced RFID-based book management system. Through the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), the institution will link directly with the National Digital Library of India, enabling visitors to seamlessly download resources, take electronic notes, and research complex subjects.
Strengthening the Urban Library Network
Addressing the gathering, the Home Minister emphasized that a nation’s future is shaped primarily by the intellectual curiosity of its youth. He proposed a highly structured model to enhance reading habits across Delhi:
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School Integration Plan: Shri Shah urged the Delhi Government to interconnect all public libraries across the city and integrate them directly into the school education system to make learning materials accessible.
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Community Outreach: The library staff was instructed to actively connect with educational institutions across the ten surrounding Assembly constituencies to draw adolescents into the reading ecosystem.
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The Gandhinagar Decentralized Model: Highlighting an existing success story from his own parliamentary constituency, the Minister noted how connecting village libraries to a central network with mobile library vans allowed children in any rural pocket to receive requested books within days.
Honoring the Legacy of Loknayak & ‘Dinkar’
The Home Minister stated that libraries serve as vital gateways to understanding India’s true identity, calling upon young people to study the works of nationalist icons:
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Cultural Soul: He noted that reading the profound works of celebrated litterateur Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’ is essential to truly understanding India’s culture, struggles, and self-respect.
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The Beacon of ‘Sampoorna Kranti’: The library honors the memory of Jayaprakash Narayan, a revolutionary who led the Quit India Movement, spread Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan movement, and famously persuaded over 200 dacoits in the Chambal region to surrender.
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Defending Democracy: The address recalled JP’s historical opposition to the Emergency, where his call for “Sampoorna Kranti” (Total Revolution) from Gandhi Maidan became a unifying force that preserved the nation’s democratic fabric and eventually led to the landmark political shift in the 1977 general elections.
Call to Action: Shri Shah concluded by encouraging the youth to build a lifelong habit of reading to look beyond hearsay, refine their personalities, and contribute to the vision of a prosperous, self-reliant India by 2047.
