India, May 28 -- Maharashtra minister of higher and technical education, Chandrakant Patil, on Tuesday formally announced the classification criteria for libraries across the state, aimed at promoting modernisation, transparency, and wider access to library services. The new guidelines are expected to significantly benefit students and enhance the quality and availability of books in libraries.

According to Patil, "Libraries will now be classified into four categories - A, B, C, and D - based on the number of books available. An 'A' grade library must have more than 15,000 books; a 'B' grade library must house more than 5,000 books; a 'C' grade library must have at least 1,000 books; and a 'D' grade library must contain over 500 books. T...