Lok Sabha Question No. 3959 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-25
Subject: National Accessible Library Initiative
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Naveen Jindal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT DEPARTMENT OF EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3959

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25/03/2025

## NATIONAL ACCESSIBLE LIBRARY INITIATIVE

3959. Shri Naveen Jindal:

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  steps  have  been  taken  to  increase  the  number  of  libraries  under  the  National Accessible Library Initiative, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the total number of libraries established or upgraded for Braille accessibility during the last three years, State-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has taken measures to increase the production of books in Braille, and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether any steps have been taken to expand the linguistic range of Braille literature under the Braille Production Initiative; and
- (e) the timeline and future targets for expanding Braille libraries and multilingual literature for visually impaired readers?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

(SHRI B. L. VERMA)

(a) :  The Government has implemented significant measures to expand the number of libraries under the National Accessible Library Initiative, ensuring that visually impaired individuals have access to learning materials in various accessible formats. Currently, 16 libraries are empanelled with Sugamya Pustakalaya, a digital repository of accessible books. The National Institute for Empowerment  of  Persons  with  Visual  Disabilities  (NIEPVD)  has  partnered  with  the  DAISY Forum of India (DFI) to facilitate this online repository for persons with visual disabilities.

To further enhance accessibility, NIEPVD has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with several leading universities and institutions, including Vardhman Mahaveer Open University(Kota, Rajasthan), Subhas Open University (Kolkata), Uttarakhand Open University, and Indian Institute of Teacher Education (IITE), University For Teacher Education Gandhinagar (Gujarat State University of Teacher Education). These partnerships aim to develop accessible book collections in their respective libraries for individuals with visual impairments.

In collaboration with National Book Trust (NBT), New Delhi, NIEPVD has established a Universal Design Centre for Reading in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. This center showcases NBT's extensive  collection  of  accessible  publications  for  visually  impaired  persons.  Additionally, NIEPVD has partnered with NAB, Delhi, to create Shravan, an IVR-based audio library for the visually impaired.

To raise awareness and increase the number of accessible libraries, NIEPVD Dehradun regularly organizes seminars and conferences involving government, semi-government, college, university,  and  NGO  stakeholders.  These  ongoing  efforts  demonstrates  the  government's commitment to improving access  to  literature  and  educational  resources  for  visually  impaired individuals across India

(b): The  National  Accessible  Library(NAL)  plays  a  vital  role  in  increasing  institutional membership across India, thereby enhancing access to inclusive reading resources. During the last  3  years,   the  number  of  institutional  memberships  has  reached  18,  covering  the  following States/UTs: West  Bengal07 ,  Mahrastra03 ,  Uttar  Pradesh01 ,  Mizoram  01 ,  Punjab01 , Haryana01 , Kerala02 , Uttarakhand01 and Jammu Kashmir01 ).

(c),  (d)  &  (e) :   The  Government is providing free of cost Braille Text-Books, and educational materials  in  Braille  format  and  other  accessible  formats  (E-Pub,  Talking  Book,  Large  print) under 'Project on Financial Support for Development of Accessible Learning Materials (DALM; erstwhile Braille Press Project)' through 25 implementing agencies spread all over the country. Since  2014,  13,68,01,098  Braille  pages  have  been  embossed  and  distributed  to  student  with visual impairment under the DALM project.

Furthermore,  to  expand  the  linguistic  range  of  Braille  literature,  the  Standard  Bharati  Braille Codes mapped with Unicode for 13 Indian languages has been published on 4 th January 2025 in collaboration with NIEPVD, Dehradun.

The Government is actively pursuing the expansion of Braille libraries and multilingual literature for visually impaired readers through initiatives such as:

-  Increasing  the  number  of  digitally  accessible  libraries  under  the  National  Accessible Library Initiative.
-  Enhancing  the  availability  of  books  in  Braille  and  other  accessible  formats  across multiple Indian languages.
-  Strengthening  partnerships  with  organizations  like  the  National  Book  Trust  (NBT), Sugamya  Pustakalaya,  and  Daisy  Forum  of  India  to  expand  the  scope  of  accessible literature.