New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Even in the digital age, libraries can contribute significantly in complementing children's school education, especially in rural areas, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday.

The vice president said he strongly believes that every village must have a library and must receive enthusiastic patronage from the people.

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"Indeed, there is a dire need today to revitalise the existing libraries in our towns and villages, taking inspiration from the library movements of the past," he said in a Facebook post.

To truly make libraries vibrant places of learning, the society needs a ‘jan andolan' on the lines of the Swachh Bharat, tree plantation programmes and other initiatives, Naidu felt.

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Libraries, he said, must also be digitised to keep up with the age of the internet and be made remotely accessible to people.

"While these institutional measures can ensure that the infrastructure is in place, libraries can really thrive only when we can cultivate the habit of reading among people," Naidu said.

The vice president penned the post after visiting the renowned Annamayya Library in Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.

At a time of waning attention spans, books can be the most effective tools to ingrain qualities of discipline and perseverance in children, he opined.

"Books can also unlock the imagination of children like no other modern media. Parents must take active interest in their children's books and inculcate a healthy reading habit in them from an early age," Naidu said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)