New Delhi, December 10 (IANS). Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary informed the Lok Sabha about the government’s efforts and challenges in achieving 100 percent rural literacy. The Union Minister informed that the last decade has witnessed a spectacular growth in the literacy rate of rural India, increasing from 67.77 per cent in 2011 to 77.5 per cent in 2023-24 among persons aged seven years and above.
He said this increase was mainly linked to a 14.5 percentage point increase in female literacy, which increased from 57.93 percent to 70.4 percent during the period. Male literacy has also improved, increasing from 77.15 percent to 84.7 percent over the same period.
Briefing the House about government efforts on literacy, the Union Minister said, “To improve literacy rates, including rural literacy among adults, the Government of India has launched several centrally sponsored schemes and programs such as Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, Saakshar Bharat , Reading and Writing Campaign and the ongoing Ullas-Nav Bharat Literacy Programme.”
He emphasized the role of Nav Bharat Literacy Program (NILP), popularly known as ‘ULLAS Yojana’ in promoting adult literacy. Launched in April 2022 and aligned with the National Education Policy-2020, the program targets adults aged 15 years and above.
Union Minister of State for Education said, “We have successfully registered more than 2 crore learners under ‘ULLAS’ and more than 1 crore people have already appeared for the Basic Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test. The scheme will be implemented in hybrid mode. Has been implemented, which provides both offline and online tools. The mobile app associated with the scheme works in 26 languages.
While giving information to the House, the Union Minister said that Maharashtra has made rapid progress under the ‘ULLAS Scheme’. More than 10.87 lakh learners are registered in Maharashtra and 4 lakh learners have appeared for the Numeracy Assessment Test. Bihar has not yet implemented the ‘ULLAS’ initiative.
–IANS
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