The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across India to organize the P.N. Panicker National Reading/Digital Reading Day-Month Celebrations 2026 and encourage active participation of students and faculty members. The directive was issued through a letter dated July 16, 2026, signed by UGC Secretary Prof. Shyama Rath, forwarding a communication from the P.N. Panicker Foundation regarding the nationwide reading campaign.
The P.N. Panicker Foundation, established in 1995, has been spearheading India’s national movement for reading and literacy development under the slogan “Read and Grow.” The foundation highlighted that June 19 is observed as Reading Day in memory of P.N. Panicker, regarded as the father of Kerala’s library and literacy movement, who initiated a mass reading campaign in Kerala in 1945 and helped establish thousands of libraries across villages.
According to the foundation, the month-long celebrations from June 19 to July 18 have reached all 28 States, 8 Union Territories, and 19 foreign countries in previous years, with an estimated 410 million people participating in reading-related activities. The foundation has requested the Ministry of Education to issue letters to all Chief Secretaries and education departments to ensure the celebrations are conducted in a fitting manner across the country.
UGC has urged universities and colleges to actively observe the Reading Day-Month celebrations, reinforcing the importance of reading habits, digital literacy, and inclusive education among the
youth.
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