UP expands digital libraries to 57,600 Gram Panchayats, CM Adityanath highlights rural education push

Uttar Pradesh has expanded digital learning facilities across its rural areas, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath highlighting the state’s network of Gram Panchayat digital libraries as a way to improve access to educational resources and competitive exam preparation for village youth.

Adityanath discussed the initiative during a public grievance redressal session, or Janata Darshan, and highlighted the digital library established at Khasaha Mohammadpur in Tejawapur Block of Bahraich as an example of how technology is bringing learning resources closer to rural students.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister said village students preparing for competitive examinations previously had to travel to cities to access books and other resources, adding that digital libraries are helping address this gap.

“No longer will the distance to the city hinder education. Digital gateway to knowledge opens in villages. Whenever a child from a village needed to prepare for competitive exams, they had to look toward the city for books and better resources. The distance consumed both time and money. Now, in Khasaha Mohammadpur of Tejawapur Block in Bahraich, this very distance has been bridged by the digital library,” he wrote.

The Khasaha Mohammadpur facility has been established at the Gram Panchayat secretariat and combines conventional study material with digital learning tools. The infrastructure includes computers, high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, smart TVs, printers and CCTV surveillance.

“This library, set up in the Gram Panchayat secretariat, is bringing together books and computers, traditional study methods and modern technology, all under one roof,” CM wrote.

The libraries also provide physical reading material through partnerships with the National Book Trust. Students preparing for competitive examinations can access relevant books, while digital facilities allow them to use online learning content and e-learning resources without leaving their village.

“Here, facilities include computers, printers, high-speed internet, Wi-Fi, smart TVs, and CCTV. Along with books for competitive exams, literature from the National Book Trust is also available. That is to say, whether you need books for reading or digital content for preparation, both are now accessible right in the village,” CM stated.

Adityanath said the availability of these facilities closer to students is helping them reduce the time and money previously spent traveling to cities for education and examination preparation.

“With resources now closer at hand, the path to dreams has become easier too. Children and youth are studying here, connecting with e-learning, and giving a new edge to their preparation for competitive exams. The time and money that once went into travelling to and from the city are now being invested in their education,” the Chief Minister stated.

The state has also significantly expanded the reach of digital libraries and other technology-based learning facilities compared with the period before 2017.

Adityanath said e-libraries were previously available at around 76 locations at the state and district levels, while digital libraries have now been extended to 57,600 Gram Panchayats.

“This change is not limited to just one village. Before 2017, e-libraries were accessible at about 76 locations at the state and district levels; today, digital libraries have reached 57,600 Gram Panchayats. Digital education is not being confined to schools alone; nearly 6 million youth have been provided with smartphones and tablets,” he said.

The Chief Minister also pointed to the expansion of digital infrastructure within schools. According to him, more than 32,000 schools across Uttar Pradesh now use smart classrooms, while over 15,000 schools have ICT labs to support technology-enabled education.

“Today, in more than 32,000 schools across the state, education is being integrated with new technology through smart classrooms, and in over 15,000 schools via ICT labs,” he said.

Adityanath also compared the current availability of educational resources with the situation during 2012-16. He claimed that despite sufficient government funding during that period, hundreds of thousands of children did not receive textbooks and millions did not receive uniforms.

“On the other hand, during 2012-16, despite sufficient government funding, 622,000 children did not receive textbooks, and 9.7 million children did not get uniforms. From the availability of resources in education to their accessibility, Uttar Pradesh has covered a long distance. For parents too, this change has become a foundation of trust. Their children no longer have to leave the village for modern educational resources.”

The Chief Minister said the Gram Panchayat Digital Library initiative is also changing the role of village secretariats by turning them into spaces that provide educational and technology-related facilities in addition to administrative services.

“The result of the Uttar Pradesh government's Gram Panchayat Digital Library initiative is visible on the ground. Gram Panchayat secretariats are now playing a new role not just as centers for administrative services, but also as hubs of knowledge and technology,” he added.

Adityanath said the Khasaha Mohammadpur digital library represents the wider changes taking place in rural education, with technology and learning resources becoming more accessible to children and young people in villages.

“This digital library in Khasaha Mohammadpur is a vivid picture of change. The village is changing, the environment for education is changing, and the light of knowledge is now reaching the doorsteps of children,” he said.