New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) No new public library has been built in the country by the Union government in the last five years, according to information shared by the Centre on Thursday.

P V Abdul Wahab, Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, asked the Culture Ministry in the Upper House whether the government has built any new public libraries in the country in the last five years.

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Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in his written response said, "No."

He was also asked about the number of public libraries planned by the government in the next five years.

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"There is no such plan," the Union minister said.

Ministry of Culture through its National Mission on Libraries (NML) Scheme provides financial assistance to one state central library and one district library in each state or Union Territory (UT) according to the recommendation of the state authorities concerned and six libraries under the Ministry of Culture.

(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)