Over 33,000 villages in state have no libraries: RTI

At least 1,000 public libraries have shut down in the past three years and only 127 out of the state’s 27,951 gram panchayats have libraries within their premises

Mumbai: While the recent Marathi literary conference in New Delhi attracted participation from top politicians in the state, most students and residents of rural Maharashtra lack access to public libraries, shows information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act by activist Abhay Kolarkar.

While 75% villages in the state do not have a single public library, major cities have multiple libraries. (HT PHOTO)

Out of 44,738 villages in the state, at least 33,588 villages do not have a single government-subsidised library, as per data provided by the Directorate of Libraries in response to Kolarkar’s application. At least 1,000 public libraries have shut down in the past three years and only 127 out of the state’s 27,951 gram panchayats have libraries within their premises, the data shows.

“Promoting book culture is not a priority for the government,” Kolarkar told Hindustan Times. He said that while crores of rupees were spent on events like the literary conferences, there was little effort to make Marathi literature accessible to rural students. “Students in villages are deprived of access to books beyond their school curriculum,” he noted.

The Maharashtra Public Libraries Act, 1967 was enacted establish, maintain, and develop public libraries and promote the culture of reading in the state. As per data from the Directorate of Libraries, there are 11,150 libraries across Maharashtra. But many of them are located in major cities, which have multiple libraries.

Moreover, only 329 libraries among them are categorised as class A, indicating adequate book count, storage space and reading room and facilities such as internet facilities and subscriptions. Libraries categorised as class B, C and D number 2,072, 3,972 and 4,777, respectively.

Well-known author Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi condemned the state government’s lack of commitment to libraries and the lack of a dedicated book and library policy in Maharashtra.

“Had politicians been genuinely interested in promoting books and libraries, book lovers wouldn’t be pushed to the brink of suicide,” he said, decrying the lack of incentive for purchasing quality books and the 18% goods and services tax (GST) on books.

“Instead of spending crores on extravagant literary festivals, the funds should be redirected towards payment of long-pending salaries of library staff and library development, ensuring every village has access to books.” he said.