Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Education addressed Lok Sabha question No. 100 on July 21, 2025, regarding low literacy rates in India. The response includes state/UT-wise literacy rates from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24 and outlines government initiatives, specifically the ULLAS program (2022-2027), to achieve full literacy, defined as 95% literacy rate. The goal is to achieve 100% literacy, aligning with NEP 2020 and UN Sustainable Development Goal 4.6 by 2030.
Key Points / Main Content:
Literacy Rate:
- The latest literacy rate in India (age 7+) is 80.9% according to the PLFS 2023-24.
- Literacy rates vary by State/UT (see Annexure I).
- Factors impacting literacy include poverty, gender, and social inequalities.
Government Initiatives:
- National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes adult education and community involvement to achieve 100% literacy.
- ULLAS: Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (2022-2027) targets adults aged 15+ who missed formal education, especially in rural and educationally backward areas, and women.
- Full literacy includes reading, writing, computing with comprehension, digital literacy, and financial literacy.
Literacy Target and Achievement:
- A State/UT is declared fully literate upon attaining at least 95% literacy.
- Four States/UTs have achieved full literacy under ULLAS: Ladakh, Mizoram, Goa, and Tripura.
Annexure I:
- Contains a table of State/UT-wise literacy rates (age 7+) as per PLFS 2023-24.
Impact Analysis:
Citizens (Adults aged 15+ who missed formal education):
Impact: Targeted by the ULLAS program to improve literacy and life skills.
Action Required: Participate in ULLAS program to gain literacy skills.
State and UT Governments:
Impact: Responsible for implementing and monitoring literacy programs to achieve at least 95% literacy.
Action Required: Implement ULLAS, track progress, and report literacy rates.
Ministry of Education:
Impact: Oversees and supports literacy initiatives and policies.
Action Required: Continue implementing ULLAS program and monitor progress towards achieving full literacy.
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO):
Impact: Responsible for conducting the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to measure literacy rates.
Action Required: Continue to conduct PLFS and provide data on literacy rates for policy formulation and monitoring.
Key Entities Referenced
National Education Policy NEP 2020: A national policy document that refers to Adult Education and Lifelong Learning and makes recommendations to achieve 100% literacy.
ULLAS: Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram: A Government of India scheme implemented from 2022 to 2027, aligned with NEP 2020, targeting adults aged 15 and above who missed formal education, especially in rural and educationally backward areas.
Sustainable Development Goal SDG 4.6: A United Nations goal mandating that by 2030 all youth and adults achieve literacy and numeracy.
Periodic Labour Force Survey PLFS: An Annual Report 202324 conducted by National Sample Survey Office NSSO, Ministry of Statistics Programme Implementation that provides the latest literacy rate data.
Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal: Member of Parliament who asked the unstarred question regarding low literacy rate in Lok Sabha.
Shri Jayant Chaudhary: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education who answered the question regarding low literacy rate.
Ladakh: A State/Union Territory in India that has achieved a literacy rate of at least 95% under the ULLAS Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram.
Mizoram: A State in India that has achieved a literacy rate of at least 95% under the ULLAS Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 100
ANSWERED ON 21.07.2025
LOW LITERACY RATE
100. Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the details of literacy rate in the country, State/UT-wise;
(b) the details of reasons behind low literacy rate in the country;
(c) whether the Government has any proposal to attain 100 per cent literacy in the country within
fixed timeframe and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) if not, the reasons for not implementing a dream project to attain 100 per cent literacy in the
country?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) & (b) : As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Annual Report 2023-24 conducted by
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, the
latest literacy rate in the age group of 7 years and above is 80.9%. A table indicating literacy rate in
the country, State/UT-wise, based on PLFS Report is placed at Annexure - I. Various factors viz.
poverty, gender and social inequalities etc. impact the literacy in the country.
(c) & (d) : The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 refers to Adult Education and Lifelong
Learning at para 21.4, which states that :“Strong and innovative government initiatives for adult education in particular, to facilitate
community involvement and the smooth and beneficial integration of technology - will be affected as
soon as possible to expedite this all important aim of achieving 100% literacy”.
Coupled with these recommendations of NEP-2020 on Adult Education, the Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 4.6 of the United Nations mandates that: “By 2030 ensure that all youth
and adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy”.
Towards this purpose, Government of India is implementing ULLAS: Nav Bharat Saaksharta
Karyakram from 2022 to 2027. The scheme aligned with the NEP 2020, targets adults (aged 15 and
above) who missed formal education with a particular focus on rural areas, educationally backward
areas, women etc.
For India, Full Literacy has been defined as the ability to read, write, and compute with
comprehension, i.e. to identify, understand, interpret and create, along with critical life skills such as
digital literacy, financial literacy, etc. This definition is in line with the international definition of
Literacy by UNESCO. A State/UT is declared as Fully Literate upon attaining at least 95% literacy.
Four States/UT namely Ladakh, Mizoram, Goa, and Tripura have become fully literate under
ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram.
*****Annexure-I
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 100 FOR 21.07.2025 ASKED BY SHRI JANARDAN SINGH
SIGRIWAL, HON’BLE MP REGARDING “LOW LITERACY RATE”.
State/UT literacy rate (in per cent) in the country in the age group of 7 and above, as per
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Annual Report 2023-24 conducted by National Sample
Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.
Sl. No. States/UT Age-group (Years) 7 & above
1. Andhra Pradesh 72.60
2. Arunachal Pradesh 84.20
3. Assam 87.00
4. Bihar 74.30
5. Chhattisgarh 78.50
6. Delhi 86.90
7. Goa 93.60
8. Gujarat 84.60
9. Haryana 84.80
10. Himachal Pradesh 88.80
11. Jharkhand 76.70
12. Karnataka 82.70
13. Kerala 95.30
14. Madhya Pradesh 75.20
15. Maharashtra 87.30
16. Manipur 92.00
17. Meghalaya 94.20
18. Mizoram 98.20
19. Nagaland 95.70
20. Odisha 79.00
21. Punjab 83.40
22. Rajasthan 75.80
23. Sikkim 84.70
24. Tamil Nadu 85.50
25. Telangana 76.90
26. Tripura 93.70
27. Uttarakhand 83.80
28. Uttar Pradesh 78.20
29. West Bengal 82.60
30. Andaman & N. Island 91.10
31. Chandigarh 93.70
32. Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu 87.80
33. Jammu & Kashmir 82.00
34. Ladakh 81.00
35. Lakshadweep 97.30
36. Puducherry 92.70
All India 80.90