Fifty years after concerns were raised about 'appalling' library services in developing countries, public libraries in India remain under-resourced. Critically examine the role of the National Mission on Libraries in addressing this gap.

In 1976, Moses Musonda of the University of Zambia called library services in developing countries "appalling". He blamed weak information systems, too few trained staff and governments that ignored libraries [1]. India's National Mission on Libraries (NML) is run by the Ministry of Culture through RRRLF, Kolkata. It answers part of that diagnosis: it upgrades the top of the system but leaves the base thin.

Role of NML: Strengths

• Model Libraries: money to upgrade one State Central Library and one District Library in each State/UT, covering buildings, ICT and facilities for disabled users [2].
• Centre-state cost-sharing: a 75:25 split (90:10 for the North-East) lets the Centre fund a State List subject [2].
• Training: 2,465 professionals trained in 54 programmes by March 2026 [4]. This addresses Musonda's main bottleneck, the shortage of trained staff.
• Digital access: NVLI 2.0 (launched March 2026) brings digitised collections together on one national platform [4].

Limitations

• Narrow reach: only two libraries per state get help. Village and block libraries, which are closest to poor readers, are left out. NML also does not set up new libraries [2][4].
• Slow uptake: by 2018, only 41 proposals from 22 States/UTs had been sanctioned, worth Rs 42.42 crore [5]. The 12th Plan outlay was Rs 400 crore [3]. By 2026, 28 State Central Libraries were sanctioned against about 35 planned [2][4].
• Depends on the states: each state must propose and part-fund its libraries. Yet only 19 States/UTs have a public library law [6], so most states have no legal duty to fund libraries. This is the "government apathy" Musonda described, now inside Indian federalism.
• Digital divide: an online portal only helps people with a device, data and search skills. UNESCO's IFAP says libraries turn internet access into meaningful use [7].

Way Forward

• States should pass Model Public Library Acts that set aside steady funding.
• Extend NML funding to rural libraries, and make NVLI content available offline.
• Link staff training to media and information literacy.

Overall, NML has modernised flagship libraries and built digital and staff capacity, but it has not reached the wider library network. Library laws in every state, grants for rural libraries and offline digital content would help make libraries centres of knowledge for everyone. That serves Article 21A, SDG 4 and the democratic right to information.