Yogi Adityanath Opens Gomti Book Festival, Cites Digital Libraries in 57,600 Panchayats

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the fifth edition of the Gomti Book Festival at Lucknow University on Saturday, September 12, 2026, using the occasion to press for wider access to books and to highlight the state's expanding rural library network.

Speaking to young attendees after touring the exhibition on the university campus, the chief minister said digital libraries and conference rooms have been set up in gram secretariats, with libraries now established in 57,600 gram panchayats across the state. Books from the National Book Trust have been made available at these facilities, he said, adding that the digital era has narrowed the distance between villages and cities.

He distributed copies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's book 'Exam Warriors' to children present and said every child should read and absorb its lessons. The book, he said, is useful not only for school students but for every young person and citizen, and can offer strength and guidance in difficult times. He also posed for photographs with girl students.

Adityanath pushed back against the view that young people have drifted away from reading or spend their time only on social media, calling such an assessment unjust. Arrangements are needed to carry books to readers, he said, warning that confining knowledge to a narrow sphere carries consequences for society and the nation.

Recalling the festival's origins, he said the idea was first put to him by Yuvraj Malik, after which he discussed it with the then Additional Chief Secretary Avanish Awasthi and encouraged it. The Lucknow event produced good results, prompting him to suggest a similar festival in Gorakhpur, where he said attendance was higher and more books were sold.

The chief minister argued that knowledge should not be restricted and that studying a curriculum alone does not make a person fully knowledgeable. India's knowledge tradition, he said, advanced through scriptures, manuscripts, copper plates and records, passed down across generations. He described Lucknow as an old land of literature whose writers have guided the country and society through enduring works, and cited Naimisharanya, Kashi and Shukrteerth in Muzaffarnagar as important centres of the Indian knowledge tradition.

He said society and the nation weaken when their capacity diminishes and they distance themselves from their heritage, and that earlier attempts to confine India's ancient knowledge tradition had consequences for the country.

Turning to school education, he said buildings and facilities under the Basic and Secondary Education Council had appeared dilapidated before Operation Kayakalp changed their condition, with new construction and smart class facilities. He cited Chitrakoot, where a Class 3 girl demonstrated how to operate a digital library and displayed curriculum-related material after such facilities were provided.

He contrasted the present with the situation a decade ago, when he said Uttar Pradesh was placed in the BIMARU category, its youth faced an identity crisis and citizens avoided disclosing their identity. That picture has changed, he said, while arguing that earlier governments did not give a platform to youth and rural residents.

Adityanath appealed to young people to develop the habit of buying and reading books suited to their needs, and to prioritise titles that foster creativity and positive thinking alongside curriculum books. He urged them to build their own 'book bank' and described book fairs as an important platform for readers.

He thanked the organisers, the National Book Trust and supporting institutions, and said the fair should not remain confined to Lucknow but be taken to other parts of the state. His government, he said, will extend full cooperation and is the largest buyer of the National Book Trust's books.