720 village panchayats in Pilibhit to be equipped with digital libraries for students

Pilibhit: In a bid to bridge education gaps, ensure equitable access to quality educational content and support diverse learning needs, UP govt has launched an initiative to set up digital libraries for students in all 720 village panchayats across Pilibhit district, officials said on Monday.District panchayat raj officer (DPRO), Rohit Bharti, said each digital library would be provided with two computers and e-books of the NCERT syllabus for classes 6 to 12, along with other books of various subjects. He said that the libraries will be set up at existing premises of the panchayat bhawans in each village panchayat."In the first phase of the programme, 113 village panchayats in five of the seven development blocks have been selected, where the libraries have been targeted to complete by March 31," said Bharti. "Of the remaining panchayats, 100 would be brought under the ambit of the programme during the forthcoming financial year."He said that the programme will help reduce reliance on paper, foster eco-friendly habits, and offer a cost-effective method to keep educational content up to date."The outlay on each library was estimated at Rs 4 lakh by the state administration, which allocated the requisite fund for 113 libraries. This includes the cost of equipment including computers, furniture, chairs, almirah and wardrobe," said Bharti.The DPRO issued a letter on Monday to village heads, assistant development officers and panchayat secretaries of the department, directing them to ensure strict compliance with the related directions. Officials have been instructed to ensure all essential amenities at the libraries, including clean drinking water, toilets, adequate lights and sanitation."The assistant development officers were instructed to supervise the operation and maintenance of the libraries and ensure daily presence of panchayat assistants, secretaries and the village heads at the panchayat bhawans," he added.