Reading and the Role of Law

Punjab’s Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan is unhappy with the state’s declining reading habit.

Punjab’s Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan is unhappy with the state’s declining reading habit. His government has come up with a Punjab Library Bill that hopes to open a library in every village. “After the emergence of the electronic media and internet, there has been a sharp decline in reading habits among the youth. If the Act is implemented, there will be huge demand for quality books,” he says. The draft of the bill has been sent to NGOs and vice-chancellors of universities. Each library, despite Sekhwan’s reservations about the web, is tipped to have a computer with  internet access. If all goes well, Punjab may set a record for the most number of libraries in a state.