The government will continue the nationwide mobile library to develop the reading habits of creative books among the readers.
76 mobile library units in 368 upazilas or police stations of 64 districts of the country in 3,200 spots or areas to create an alternative source of reading books for common people especially women and children and teenagers, will be in operation.
There will be 700 cultural organizations and 22,000 events by directly developing creative book reading habits of about 2.75 readers in the project area and by encouraging and increasing opportunities for social and cultural activities of common people especially teenagers.
For this, the “Countrywide Mobile Library project (2nd Revised)” was approved recently by the government, a planning official said.
The duration of the project has been extended by two years and the cost has also been increased, he mentioned.
The project is being implemented by the Department of Public Libraries, he added.
According to the planning department, the duration of the originally approved project was from July 2018 to December 2020.
Then the period was extended till December 2022. The term was further extended till December 2024.
The cost of the original sanctioned project was Tk 36.97 crore. In the first revised project, the cost increased to Tk 73.68 crore. In the second revised proposal, the expenditure increased to Tk 111.15 crore.
Main activities of the project are 5,404 mobile car-library and microbus hiring charges, purchase of 25,000 books and periodicals, purchase of outsourcing services, maintenance expenses of one motor vehicle, purchase of seven sets of computers and parts, purchase of three office equipment (photocopiers), purchase of 50 pieces of furniture, one computer software (including apps) and other (paying salaries and allowances of officers or employees, publicity and advertising, fuel so on.
Planning Division Secretary Satyajit Karmakar said, under the project, creative reading and cultural activities will be expanded at the marginal level in order to improve the education and cultural standards of the country.
He said that the nationwide mobile library project will play an important role in bringing the facilities of creative reading and multifaceted cultural activities to the doorsteps of people in all the districts and sub-districts of the country with the aim of achieving mental development and excellence of the people.