After a successful pilot project of Aarambh Pustakalaya (open libraries) in the Old Rajinder Nagar area, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has expanded the project to a second location at Adchini village in the South Delhi area of the national capital. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, inaugurated the second Aarambh library on Thursday. The move will help to provide a conducive environment to students and aspirants preparing for competitive examinations. This library is second in line of the state-of-the-art reading rooms and libraries developed by Delhi Development Authority(DDA). New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj, Malviya Nagar MLA Satish Upadhyay, DDA Vice Chairman N Saravana Kumar and other senior DDA officials were present on the occasion. The newly inaugurated 24x7 library assumes great significance given the high concentration of students and aspirants for various competitive exams in this part of the city. The facility offers a safe and secure environment for focused study and is well-equipped with modern amenities like modular tables with built-in pop-up power sockets at each seat, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, secure locker cabinets, dedicated display units, newspaper and magazine racks. The fully air-conditioned space is illuminated with adequate lighting and includes separate washrooms for men and women, an accessible toilet, a cafeteria, an outdoor seating area, and an open-air gym. The library can cater to around 60 students at a time, and a total of 180 students in three shifts of 8 hours each, at a nominal monthly price of `1,000 per user. The premises are monitored by CCTV cameras to ensure safety, and Wi-Fi connectivity is available throughout. Speaking on the occasion, Saxena said these efforts aim at creating an excellent environment for students who come to Delhi to study. We want to ensure that the students arent burdened by high costs and they get a safe and secure infrastructure for pursuing their dreams. These libraries-cum-reading rooms will also prevent them from exploitation by private commercial entities. Delhi, being the National Capital, must provide the best facilities in all fields and the Aarambh library, developed by DDA, is a significant step in this direction, the LG said, adding that two more Aarambh libraries would be opened by this month itself. In January 2025, he had inaugurated the first Aarambh library in Old Rajinder Nagar. This initiative was launched in response to a tragic incident in July, 2024, where three young students had drowned to death in the basement of a private coaching centre in Rajinder Nagar. Since then, the first library has been expanded, doubling its capacity to meet growing demand. Rekha Gupta said with new policies, fresh initiatives, and innovative ideas emerging daily, the Government is consistently working to provide better facilities for the people of Delhi. Our Honble LG constantly guides us, and under his mentorship, Delhi is being transformed into a greener, cleaner city through the efforts undertaken by DDA, she added. The DDA is repurposing under-utilised community centres and halls into libraries and reading rooms. Five such centres have already been earmarked for transformation, with upcoming facilities planned in Vikaspuri, Sector-16B Dwarka and Rohini.

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