To make a society literate, there is the need to first create awareness about the importance of education, and then to inculcate the habit of reading in people. Most of India’s population live in villages and, hence, it is important to spread education in rural areas. In order to create awareness about the importance of education in nation building and rural development, IAS Shashi Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner of Khunti district of Jharkhand, is implementing a plan to open libraries in all 149 panchayats of the district,which will be run by the Tejaswini girls.
Tejaswini is a scheme of the Government of Jharkhand, where the girls of 14-24 years are imparted training in non-formal education and skill development. Tejaswini clubs are also formed under the scheme for the cause of the social and economic empowerment of girls.
Deputy Commissioner of Khunti, IAS Shashi Ranjan outlined the project to open librares and computer labs in all districts to Indian Masterminds.
A LIBRARY IN EACH DISTRICT
Funds have been received from NITI Aayog for opening libraries in all the panchayats of Khunti district. For this, old government buildings in every panchayat lying unused will be renovated and refurbished and turned into a library. The maintenance of these libraries will be handed over to Tejaswini groups.
Mr. Shashi Ranjan, a 2014-batch IAS officer and Deputy Commissioner of Khunti, while talking to Indian Masterminds, said, “We have a plan to build a library in every panchayat of the district. Work is going on at many places. We are renovating the community hall in every panchayat and converting it into a library. Right now, libraries are being built in places where Tejaswini Group is most active. After that, other places will be taken up. Our aim is to build a library in every block of the district so that the habit of reading is inculcated in the children and their overall development takes place. We aim to make all the libraries in the next 6 months.”
The district administration recently constructed a library with the help of the Tata Trust’s organization CInI (Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives), where a community building has been converted into a library. IAS Shashi Ranjan said, “It was a great initiative which we completed with the help of Clnl. Now it will be looked after by Tejaswini Group. Our core work right now is to bring awareness and bring people together.”
COMPUTER LAB IN SCHOOLS
Along with this, the administration is working on another scheme,under which, computer labs will now be set up in every government school in the district and students will be exposed to every aspect of digital education.
The administration has already started identifying schools for setting up computer labs in the first phase. According to Mr. Ranjan, there is a need to bring about a comprehensive change in society by systematically ensuring better order and management, so that integrated and inclusive development can be promoted.
