The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has set up 125 libraries and 73 reading corners in its schools to inculcate a habit of reading among students, the civic body said on Sunday.

The SDMC runs 539 primary schools under its jurisdiction.

"The civic body has been establishing well-equipped libraries inside the school premises. In collaboration with NGOs Angelica Foundation, Room to Read and Katha, the SDMC's education department has set up well-equipped and reader-friendly libraries in as many as 125 schools," it said in an official statement.

SDMC Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti said setting up of "excellent" libraries will bring about a positive change in the lives of children by motivating them to read good and inspirational books.

In these libraries, books are available for students of all ages studying in the SDMC schools, the commissioner said in the statement.

The education department of the SDMC has set up 56 libraries in schools in its central zone, 39 in schools in south zone and 30 in schools in the west zone. Efforts are being made to open similar libraries in Najafgarh zone schools as well, the statement said.

Prominent places where libraries have been made operational in corporation schools are Tughlakabad Extension, Kalkaji, Premnagar, Ashram in Central Zone, Ambedkar Nagar, Khanpur, Deoli, Pushp Vihar, RK Puram in South Zone and Tagore Garden, Raghubir Nagar, Subhash Nagar in West Zone.

"The civic agency, with the help of NGO Room to Read and Katha, has started 73 ‘Reading Corners' in its primary schools, where there is no separate room/space for running a full-fledged library," the statement added