Andhra Pradesh government to set up country’s biggest library in Amaravati

Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics
| Photo Credit:
KVS Giri

The Andhra Pradesh Government will soon set up the country’ largest Central Library in Amaravati.

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, said Amaravati would soon house the country’s largest and most modern Central Library, spread across two lakh sq. ft., and designed as a “world-class hub of knowledge.” The announcement came during a state-level review meeting chaired by the Minister, along with senior education officials at his Undavalli residence.

“We will build the best central library in the country and complete it within a year. This will set new standards for access to knowledge,” the Minister said. He further directed that the proposed regional library at Jagadamba Centre in Visakhapatnam, covering 50,000 sq. ft., be fast-tracked.

He said ₹213 crore in cess dues pending from local bodies should be recovered and used for the development of libraries. He directed the officials to organise community programmes across libraries to increase student engagement and make full use of funds allocated under the National Mission for Libraries. Notably, ₹87 lakh has been sanctioned for the Rajahmundry library.

The Minister said this year alone, 350 students who had prepared using books from government libraries, had secured jobs as constables. A large-scale campaign on the benefits of libraries would be launched, ensuring all necessary competitive exam books are available in government libraries.

The State government would conduct the District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment drive for teachers every year, he said, adding: “For the first time, we have successfully conducted a mega DSC with 16,347 posts. From now on, DSC will be an annual exercise to ensure timely recruitment.’‘

Discussing the state’s 14th national rank in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) implementation, Lokesh called for urgent measures to improve Andhra Pradesh’s standing and ensure that all students receive guaranteed foundational literacy rights.

“According to the ASER Report, Andhra Pradesh stands 14th at the national level in the implementation of the FLN program. This needs to change, and structural measures must be taken to secure a better rank. Every child should be given Guaranteed FLN as a right. We aim to ensure that every child, even in remote areas, receives this guarantee, with the cooperation of teachers,” he added.

Published on August 22, 2025