Aurangabad, Dec 4:
The Aurangabad district library association members have alleged that the state finance department and higher and technical education department expressed complete disregard for the library movement by sanctioning only 10 per cent of the budgeted amount of maintenance grant payable to government libraries in 2020-21. The grants were sanctioned based on the expenditure for the year 2019-20. A memorandum was also sent to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding an end to this neglect and payment of the first instalment of the maintenance grant.
Out of this 10 per cent sanctioned amount of Rs 12.37 crore, Rs 1.35 crore is to be paid for the maintenance grant in 2019-20. From the current budget, it was necessary to get a provision of Rs 62.50 crore for the first instalment of grant and Rs 1.35 crore. As a result, activists and librarians in the public library movement are dissatisfied. It is the responsibility of the government to sanction funds to public libraries for disbursement of the first instalment of grants based on actual expenditure made last year as per Maharashtra Public Library Act, 1967. Due to this neglect of the government, 12,149 libraries and 23,613 librarians in the state are in dire financial straits.
Gulabrao Magar and Subhash Solanke from the association have demanded that the remaining grants should be disbursed by the end of December and the second and final instalment of the maintenance grant should be sanctioned by the end of February-21. Along with the chief minister, a statement has also been given to deputy CM Ajit Pawar and higher and technical education minister Uday Samant.