Bengaluru, March 12 (IANS) The Karnataka government, on Thursday, expanded its partnership with the British Council to strengthen English learning and improve library services in rural areas through the state’s Gram Panchayat ‘Arivu Kendras’ (Knowledge Centres).

Under the expanded collaboration, the number of British Council Library Corners in Gram Panchayat ‘Arivu Kendras’ will increase from 10 to 70, with 60 additional centres to be established across the state.

As part of the initiative, the British Council will provide 3,000 English children’s books and extend free access to its digital library resources, enabling rural readers to access global knowledge platforms and curated English learning content.

The expanded partnership agreement was signed on Thursday under the chairmanship of the Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge and Deputy High Commissioner Chandru Iyyar.

The agreement was signed between Arundhathi Chandrasekhar, Commissioner of the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Commissionerate, and Janaka Pushpanathan, British Council Director of South India.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Kharge said Gram Panchayat libraries have evolved into vibrant knowledge centres for rural communities across Karnataka.

“Gram Panchayat libraries have developed into Arivu Kendras — centres of learning, curiosity and knowledge for rural communities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, these libraries became important learning spaces for children. By offering free membership to those aged between 6 and 18 years, we have brought more than five million young readers into this ecosystem,” he added.

Minister Kharge said that English skills play an important role in enabling rural youth to access higher education and employment opportunities.

“For many young people in rural Karnataka, English skills provide a pathway to higher education, employability and social mobility. Our partnership with the British Council helps bring high-quality English learning resources, books and digital content closer to these learners,” Kharge added.

The Minister noted that the success of the initial 10 British Council library corners launched in 2025 had encouraged the state government to expand the initiative to 70 centres.

Karnataka is also working towards building one of the largest rural knowledge networks in the country through its Gram Panchayat libraries.

At present, 5,884 Gram Panchayat ‘Arivu Kendras’ are functioning across rural Karnataka.

The state government is planning to establish around 6,600 additional village libraries, which will expand the network to more than 12,000 rural libraries across the state.

These centres are equipped with computers and internet connectivity, enabling access to digital learning resources, online training sessions, and educational programmes for students across thousands of villages in the state.

The management of Gram Panchayat libraries was transferred from the Department of Public Libraries to the Gram Panchayats under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department on March 1, 2019.

Since then, they have been upgraded as ‘Arivu Kendras’ that function as community knowledge hubs offering services such as digital learning resources, career guidance systems, constitutional literacy initiatives and assistive technologies for persons with disabilities.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Karnataka’s Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department launched the “Oduva Belaku” programme to encourage reading among children in the state.

Under the initiative, free library membership was provided to children aged between 6 to 18 years, and more than five million children are currently registered members of Gram Panchayat Arivu Kendras.

Senior officials present on the occasion included Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Uma Mahadevan, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Secretary Sameer Shukla, Panchayat Raj Secretary Randeep, Panchayat Raj Commissioner Arundhathi Chandrasekhar, British Council India Country Director Alison Barrett, and British Council South Asia Regional Director Helen Silvester.

–IANS

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