A graduate from Warangal’s Kakatiya University, Damera Raju dreamt big. He put in hard work and efforts to crack competitive examinations with limited resources he had. “It was difficult to find access to competitive exams material but with support from DEF-IPLM programme, I was able to study hard,” he says. He appeared for various job recruitments and cleared them. He was first selected for the post of clerk in Warangal District Co-Operative Central Bank and now he is a junior Panchayat Secretary. “The library staff’s encouragement made it possible,” he adds.

The story of Mohammed Abdul Khader of Telangana’s Mahabubnagar is not too different. He holds an M.Tech degree from JPNCE Engineering College and had been practicing as an engineer for last few years. But he dreamt of making it big as a government officer. Lack of resources was a deterrent when it came to prepare for competitive examinations. With the help DEF’s Indian Public Library Movement in his area, he was able to utilise state library facilities that helped him achieve his goals. Now a Sub Inspector in police department, he gives credit to the supportive library staff that helped him prepare and turn his dreams into reality.