The Ministry of Education has initiated the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) under its National Mission of Education through Information and Communication Technology. The NDLI project is a virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window search facility. The same is being developed and maintained by IIT, Kharagpur. 

The NDLI project was initiated in 2015 and was launched to the country on June 19, 2018. It is a repository of resources from national and international digital libraries that is accessible in English and Indian languages as well. Multiple filter options offer the ease of filtering the database.

The books are available in Indian languages. As the books are being scanned, it has provided an opportunity for developing the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software of Indian languages.

Objective of National Digital Library of India

The objective is to collect and collate the metadata and provide a full-text index from various digital libraries, both domestic and international, as well as from other relevant sources. It is a digital repository containing articles, textbooks, audio books, videos, lectures, fiction, simulations and all other kinds of learning media.

National Digital Library of India Access and Restrictions

The resources are accessible all across the world. However, some works are accessible to only registered users as this content is obtained from:
 

• World eBook Library
• South Asia Archive
• OECD iLibrary
• Satyajit Ray Society

It is accessible through a mobile app on Android and iOS platforms as well.

Salient Features of National Digital Library of India

• Educational materials are available for all levels of learning from primary to post graduation.
• The usability of the NDLI is for all learners – students, teachers, researchers, librarians, professionals, differently-abled users and all life long learners.
• The information needed can be filtered based on the different criteria like education level, language, level of difficulty, media of content, and other factors.
•  It is a customized service that is available round the clock (24*7) where learners can find the right resources without too much effort and time.
• The repository has content from multiple domains like Technology, Humanities, Science, Agriculture, and others.
•  The content available is in more than 60 formats – books, manuscripts, articles, thesis, video lectures, etc.
• The content is available in more than 70 languages.
• The repository integrates content from different Indian Institutional Repositories.

Through the huge database of resources, NDLI offers learning opportunities to all across the country.