MoHUA confirms dedicated space for Central Secretariat Library in Central Vista plan

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said space for the Central Secretariat Library has been allocated in the Central Vista redevelopment plan. In a post on X the ministry clarified that the library will be built under the Kartavya Path scheme and that construction work has already started. The library, which currently occupies four floors and holds about 8.5 lakh books, faced uncertainty after reports claimed only two rooms were allotted in the Kartavya Bhawan‑2 complex. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had ordered all ministries to vacate Shastri Bhawan by the end of September to allow demolition and redevelopment of the building. On 16 January the ministry wrote to the Culture Ministry, which oversees the library, offering two rooms in Kartavya Bhawan‑2. The Culture Ministry replied on 26 February that the space was inadequate for the full collection and facilities and that a complete relocation was not feasible. The library began as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Kolkata in 1891, moved to Delhi when the capital shifted in 1911, then to North Block after its 1930s construction, and finally to Shastri Bhawan in 1969. ## Context The Central Vista project reshapes Delhi’s government district, and the library’s move is notable because it is a historic repository with over eight hundred thousand volumes that has been housed in the capital for more than a century.