UNESCO World Book Day 2025: The Chandigarh Administration has announced free library services for students of government schools.
Chandigarh, India, April 24, 2025 — In celebration of UNESCO’s “World Book Day,” the public libraries in Chandigarh—specifically the T.S. Central State Library in Sector 17 and the Divisional Library (South) in Sector 34—will now provide free library services to students in government schools from Class 6 to Class 10. This initiative, organized by the Department of Higher Education, UT Chandigarh Administration, eliminates the requirement for a security deposit, thereby removing a financial barrier for students and their families.
This proposal was presented by Prof. A.P. Singh, Director General of the Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation in Kolkata. It received unanimous approval during the State Library Planning Committee (SLPC) meeting held earlier this year. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Prerna Puri, IAS, Secretary of Education for UT Chandigarh, with Mr. Rubinderjit Singh Brar, PCS, Director of Higher Education for the Chandigarh Administration, serving as Vice Chairman.
This initiative aims to benefit approximately 69,000 students in over 111 government schools located in Chandigarh. The State Library Planning Committee (SLPC) will create a comprehensive implementation plan in collaboration with the Director of School Education, Chandigarh Administration.
The public libraries of Chandigarh are dedicated to fostering a culture of reading and promoting awareness within the community. The libraries organize various events and activities throughout the year to support this mission. These include book displays, author meet-ups, painting and debate competitions, special exhibitions, and storytelling sessions on essential occasions. These activities aim to inspire creativity and cultivate a love for literature among students.
Public libraries are making a significant effort to improve access to books and learning by offering free library services to children in government schools. This initiative helps students develop strong reading habits and enhances the educational resources available to them, ultimately contributing to their overall development.
The Department of Library and Information Science at Panjab University in Chandigarh has been actively celebrating World Book Day, an occasion dedicated to promoting reading and underscoring the significance of books. Recognizing this important day, the department has been organizing various engaging activities and events designed to cultivate a passion for literature among university students.
Chandigarh University in Mohali, Punjab, celebrated World Book Day with a big event. Publishers and booksellers displayed their books at an exhibition on the university campus. The university also hosted an International Book Fest that attracted book lovers, students, authors, and publishers from the area. The fest showcased over 40,000 books from over 50 top publishers, creating an excellent space for readers of all interests and backgrounds.
- World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or the International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright awareness.
On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO, in collaboration with an advisory committee from key sectors of the book industry, designates a city as the World Book Capital for one year. Each chosen World Book Capital City implements a program of activities to celebrate and promote books and reading. For 2025, the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has selected Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the World Book Capital.
As the twenty-fifth city to receive this title since 2001, Rio de Janeiro follows a distinguished list that includes Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogotá (2007), Amsterdam (2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010), Buenos Aires (2011), Yerevan (2012), Bangkok (2013), Port Harcourt (2014), Incheon (2015), Wroclaw (2016), Conakry (2017), Athens (2018), Sharjah (2019), Kuala Lumpur (2020), Tbilisi (2021), Guadalajara (2022), Accra (2023), and Strasbourg (2024).
The UNESCO World Book Capital Advisory Committee consists of members from the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), the International Authors Forum (IAF), the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), and the International Publishers Association (IPA).
Sources: Chandigarh Administration; Panjab University Chandigarh; Chandigarh University; UNESCO
CitiTimes 