Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on 12 August 2025 virtually launched the 'Gramin Gyan Setu' project in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, connecting 63 rural libraries across Gandhinagar, Kalol and Sanand with four central libraries holding a combined 2.8 lakh books. The initiative, rolled out on National Library Day, aims to bring reading resources and knowledge infrastructure directly to villages through a digital network and mobile library vans.

How the Network Works

Each village library under the project has been stocked with 4,500 to 6,000 books, covering children's literature — including titles such as Aladdin's Magic Lamp and Sindbad's Adventures — alongside books on the history of Gujarat and India, the 1857 freedom struggle, and competitive examination material for state and Central government recruitments.

Four mobile library vans, funded through the Member of Parliament grant, will visit villages every 15 days. The vans will collect returned books and deliver new titles ordered through a dedicated digital application, enabling rural readers to access a far wider catalogue without travelling to central libraries.

Digital Backbone and Institutional Linkages

According to Shah, approximately 752 libraries were connected to the digital application within three months of the project's development. Work is also under way to digitally integrate literature from institutions including Sastu Sahitya Mandal, Gita Press, the Bhupen Hazarika Institute, and Thiruvalluvar Sansthan.

Shah thanked Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the state government for their cooperation in building the system. He also stressed that creating a reading-friendly environment in schools and villages, supported by trained librarians, was essential for developing 'responsible and capable citizens.' Recalling his own background, Shah noted that the reading habit he had developed in childhood later helped him in his studies and public service.

What the Gujarat Government Said

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, speaking at Town Hall in Gandhinagar on the occasion, described the initiative as a bridge between villages and cities, readers and libraries, and traditional collections and the digital age. He said the true measure of a library was the readers it attracted, not the grandeur of its building.

Patel announced that the state government had earmarked ₹100 crore for establishing a state-of-the-art 'Namo Central Library' in Gandhinagar. He also said the government had resolved to establish Bhagwan Birsa Munda Libraries in 15 talukas of tribal areas this year, as part of a broader plan to cover all talukas in tribal regions.

Broader Policy Context

Patel linked the project to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on knowledge power through education, skills, research, and innovation, as well as the Centre's Digital India mission and the digitisation drive under the National Mission on Libraries. He framed the initiative within Gujarat's stated vision of 'Viksit Gujarat to Viksit Bharat', arguing that the state's human capital was central to that ambition.

With 752 libraries already connected and institutional content integration in progress, the next phase of Gramin Gyan Setu will test whether digital access alone can translate into sustained reading habits in rural Gujarat.