New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee will launch the National Mission on Libraries (NML), an initiative of the culture ministry to modernise and digitally link public libraries across the country, in a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan Feb 3.

The president will formally inaugurate the NML's guidelines, logo and website in the presence of union Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch and senior officials of the ministry, a statement here said Friday.

"Nine important constituents of the NML include upgradation of infrastructure, digitisation and modernisation, census of libraries and their development as knowledge centres and transformation of libraries into empowering and inclusive institutions," said V. Srinivas, a joint secretary in the culture ministry.

"The NML plans to build a knowledge society by bringing in libraries across the country on a single platform," he added.

Six libraries under the ministry, 35 central libraries in states and 35 district libraries will be developed as model libraries under the scheme. Emphasis will be laid on economically backward districts.

With an expenditure of Rs.400 crore, the Kolkata-based Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation (RRRLF) has been roped in as the nodal agency for the implementation of NML.

The scheme will also provide 629 district libraries across the states with network connectivity.

In the revamped libraries, cataloguing will be done not only of books and journals but also of all policies of the government in public domain to facilitate easy access and research work, the statement said.