NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the Jayaprakash Narayan Public Library in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area, describing the facility as a true measure of a nation’s future and urging greater efforts to cultivate reading habits among young people.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Shah said the strength of a country should not be judged solely by its economic prosperity, industrial growth or bustling markets, but by the vibrancy of its libraries and the presence of young readers.
“The future of a nation can best be assessed by seeing how crowded its libraries are and whether young people are reading there,” he said, adding that knowledge and wisdom form the foundation of nation-building and that libraries remain the primary institutions for nurturing both.
Calling for greater engagement with students, Shah urged the library administration to collaborate with schools in the surrounding areas and introduce children to the facility. “Bring young people here once. The books will do the rest. Once a person develops the habit of reading, they learn to distinguish between right and wrong on their own,” he said.
The Home Minister said the library would provide access to around 32,000 printed books and nearly one crore e-books. He also expressed hope that the Delhi government would integrate libraries across the city into a common network and strengthen their links with educational institutions.
Shah also welcomed the NDMC’s decision to name the library after Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, recalling his contributions to the freedom movement and his commitment to public life. He noted that Narayan embraced different ideological streams over the course of his life while striving for excellence in every role. Shah also recalled Narayan’s daring escape from Hazaribagh Jail during the Quit India Movement to rejoin the struggle against British rule.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the library as a valuable addition to the capital’s educational infrastructure, particularly for students preparing for competitive examinations, including the UPSC. She said the facility would provide a conducive environment for study and learning.