Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the Jayaprakash Narayan Library in New Delhi, describing it as a new centre of knowledge and intellectual discourse for the youth and stressing that libraries play a vital role in shaping the future of a nation.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Chairman Keshav Chandra and several other dignitaries.
Addressing the gathering, HM Shah said the true measure of a nation’s future lies not in its markets or industries but in the number of young people studying in its libraries. He said knowledge and wisdom form the foundation of nation-building, and libraries are the institutions best equipped to nurture them.
Appealing to young people to cultivate the habit of reading, the Home Minister said that associating with libraries brings about a profound transformation in one’s personality. Sharing his own experience, he recalled growing up in a small town with a well-stocked library, which, he said, shaped his intellectual journey and eventually led him to study the Vedas and Upanishads.
HM Shah said that while people are often advised to think before speaking, they must first read before they can think meaningfully. “Such values can be cultivated only through libraries,” he said, urging the youth to connect with libraries and develop a lifelong reading habit. He added that once reading becomes a habit, the ability to distinguish right from wrong develops naturally.
Highlighting an initiative in his parliamentary constituency of Gandhinagar, HM Shah said nearly every village has been provided with a library containing 3,000 to 4,000 books, all connected to a central library with more than 1.25 lakh books. Four mobile library vans have also been deployed to ensure that requested books are delivered to villages every week. He added that efforts have been made to link these libraries with schools.
The Home Minister urged the Delhi government to integrate libraries across the city into a unified network and connect them with schools to create a richer and more accessible library ecosystem. He also encouraged the management of the Jayaprakash Narayan Library to actively engage with schools in the surrounding Assembly constituencies and motivate students to make regular use of the facility.
Describing libraries as gateways to the vast ocean of knowledge, HM Shah said they inspire individuals to discover ideas that refine character, strengthen society and contribute to a prosperous, self-reliant and educated nation. He stressed that understanding India’s culture, civilisational values and struggles requires reading the works of renowned poet Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’, and said libraries provide the ideal platform for such learning.
The newly inaugurated Jayaprakash Narayan Library houses more than 32,000 books and offers dedicated facilities for researchers, a modern auditorium, a children’s section, a research centre and an e-library with access to over one crore digital books. Equipped with free Wi-Fi, an RFID-based book management system and the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), the library will also be integrated with the National Digital Library of India.
HM Shah said the availability of one crore free e-books gives young readers an opportunity to study subjects of their interest in depth instead of relying on hearsay. He encouraged students to explore the works of eminent personalities across different disciplines to broaden their knowledge.
Paying tribute to Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, after whom the library is named, HM Shah described him as a visionary thinker and revolutionary who played a pivotal role in India’s democratic journey. He recalled JP’s contribution to the Quit India Movement, his decision to stay away from government after Independence, his commitment to socialism and Sarvodaya, and his efforts in persuading hundreds of dacoits in the Chambal region to surrender.
The Home Minister also highlighted Jayaprakash Narayan’s leadership during the Emergency, saying he courageously opposed authoritarian rule and gave the historic call for “Sampoorna Kranti” from Bihar’s Gandhi Maidan. He noted that when opposition leaders were jailed and the press was censored, Jayaprakash Narayan emerged as a symbol of hope for the nation. The movement, he said, eventually led to the defeat of the then Prime Minister from Rae Bareli in the 1977 general election and the formation of India’s first non-Congress government at the Centre.
Concluding his address, HM Shah urged the youth of Delhi to make full use of the Jayaprakash Narayan Library, enrich themselves through reading and contribute towards building a self-reliant and developed India by 2047.
