According to the National Statistical Commission, the literacy rate in India is 73%. However, the financial literacy rate is very less, around 24%. Compared to the other emerging economies of the world, the financial literacy rate of India is very low. To inculcate reading habits and to increase the financial literacy of the country the GoI is to launch National Digital Library. The announcement about the library was made by the finance minister Smt Nirmala Sitaraman during her budget presentation.
About the National Digital Library
- The library will mainly focus on adolescents and children
- Financial organizations will contribute age-appropriate financial materials to the library
- The main objective of the National Digital Library is to encourage the habit of reading among children
- Under this initiative, the state governments will be encouraged to create physical libraries at ward levels and panchayats. Also, they shall provide infrastructure facilities to access the resources of the National Digital Library
- Materials will also be contributed in the regional language
Why is National Digital Library launched?
During the COVID pandemic, India faced extreme learning losses. The habit of learning and the significance of knowledge vanished.
Significance
Experts from the education sector believe that the union budget 2023-24 mainly focuses on making India a knowledge-driven economy. This is to be done by strengthening the underprivileged sectors in the country.