Lucknow: The UP govt said on Saturday that hi-tech digital libraries have been developed in gram panchayats across 32 districts of the state, where students are being provided with around 20,000 digital educational resources, including e-books, video lectures, audio content and digital quizzes to help them prepare for competitive exams.In the first phase, approximately Rs 4 lakh has been spent on each digital library in 11,350 gram panchayats. Of this, around Rs 2 lakh has been allocated for books, while IT equipment worth Rs 1.3 lakh and modern furniture worth around Rs 70,000 have been provided. These libraries have been developed in such a way that students can study through digital mediums alongside traditional books.Panchayati raj director Amit Singh said that more than 20,000 digital content resources have been made available in the digital libraries for students preparing for competitive examinations. “The objective is to enhance the competitive capabilities of rural youth by providing them with modern technology-based study material so that they can perform better in various competitive examinations,” he said.Under the scheme, books have so far been supplied to libraries in 10,406 gram panchayats. Modern furniture for students has also been provided in 9,372 gram panchayats. In addition, these libraries are being connected with digital facilities in a phased manner.Singh said digital libraries will be operated under the supervision of the gram pradhan and gram secretary, while the assistant officers concerned will monitor them regularly. He stated that this initiative will improve the standard of education in rural areas, promote digital education and provide better opportunities to the youth.
