The National Digital Library opens its doors with 3.8+ Crore books

The Ministry of Human Resources in its pilot project has set up the National Digital Library of India. This noble endeavour is being developed at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

These are exceptional times and we are reacting in unexpected ways. Some of us have come together to help the needy while ensuring the safety involved. College students are using their new age knowledge and learning to ensure that we have a constant vigil on the situation. They are developing websites and databases of information needed during these tough times. 

The only way that the current threat can be thwarted is by a sudden and strong action aka the lockdown. This not only has rendered office shut but has also put our education system on hold for the foreseeable future. Without knowledge, there is no growth! And grow we always must. 

As our actual house of knowledge is closed the government has ensured that the knowledge is available to everybody, everywhere i.e. online. Under this initiative, you will be able to gain access to over 3,82,00,000 books and periodicals using any digital device. You can also access all this information through their easy to use the app. Here you can expect to find learning resources from Primary level upto Postgraduate level. 

Access the website here - https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/

Download the app through this link - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mhrd.ndl&hl=en_IN

Books, Thesis, Article, Manuscripts, Video and Audio Lectures are some of the learning resources that are available in domains of Language, Technology, Natural Sciences and Maths, Arts, Psychology, Physiology, and Social Sciences to name a few. All of these learning resources are available in more than 400 languages! This is one place where you will find a repository of learning tools gathered from all Indian institutional repositories. 

Students preparing for competitive exams like IIT JEE, GATE etc can also find here, question papers along with solutions and other supporting resources to utilise their time to prepare. School students will be able to gain access to all NCERT books as well. In line with the current trend of video tutorials, you will find enthralling and engaging video tutorials sourced through NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning)

National Digital Library India has made sure that every person out there, be it a school student, a research fellow or a college student, has access to every resource possible. This will ensure that we as a nation might struggle with a few nuances of the lockdown as a restricted movement but our overall growth and development doesn't suffer.

We are all facing times that made for a plot of a super hit movie. Not even in our wildest dreams did we imagine that this would be our reality one day. The threat of the Coronavirus is very real and is staring us in the face. It's time we step up and focus our energies on moving ahead. Let knowledge and a positive attitude be our weapons of choice that will help us fight the downsides of this lockdown.

Martin Fisher once said, all the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind. The Ministry of Human Resources has given us an all access pass to the entire world by opening the gates of the National Digital Library. We now have an obstruction free path to the most expensive commodity today, knowledge!

Share this with everyone you know to contribute to the growth of our strong yet struggling nation. Knowledge is power and we need it to survive the current time!

During this lockdown it is our sincere request that we all practice social distancing and avoid stepping out unless its absolutely necessary. We can fight this! We will flatten the curve!