Maharashtra starts direct transfer of grants to over 10,000 public libraries

The Maharashtra government has started depositing the first installment of grants for more than 10,000 recognised public libraries directly into their bank accounts, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Friday.

Public libraries are not just repositories of books but they nurture reading culture in society, he said.

Until now, grants were released in two installments every year through district library officers, but it often led to delays. To deal with this issue, his department and the Directorate of Libraries have developed a computerised Library Grant Management System for transparent disbursal, the minister said in a statement.

As per a government resolution dated September 12, 2025, the first installment was sanctioned, and grants of Rs 80.53 crore were being credited directly into the accounts of 10,546 public libraries, he said.