Authorities in east China's Anhui Province on Wednesday launched a program aimed at pushing up reading levels among more than seven million students, as Chinese minors grow increasingly indifferent to reading books.

The program will target students in all middle and primary schools in the province, according to the provincial education department.

Combined with funds to help build libraries and reading rooms, it will provide books for the students, said Cheng Yi, head of the department.

"We will try a variety of tactics to help students form the habit of reading, such as creating book corners in classrooms and a reading website where students will have more choices of books," Cheng said.

Schools will be required to hold regular reading-related activities, said the education official.

According to Cheng, most middle and elementary schools are not paying enough attention to students' reading, and it is time to step up efforts.

According to a report by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, the average Chinese juvenile read just 6.97 books in 2013.