Lok Sabha Question No. 2986 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-21
Subject: Hundred Per Cent Literacy
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Mimi Chakraborty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2986 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.03.2022

## HUNDRED PER CENT LITERACY

2986. MS. MIMI CHAKRABORTY:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has fixed the target of achieving hundred percent literacy in the country by the year 2025; and

(b) if so, the details of the steps taken/ proposed to be taken for this purpose therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) &  (b)  In  order  to  achieve  universal  literacy,  the  Department  of  School  Education  and Literacy  has  launched  the  Samagra  Shiksha  -  an  Integrated  Scheme  for  School  Education, throughout  the  country  as  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  with  effect  from  Financial  Year 2018-19.  This  programme  subsumes  the  three  erstwhile  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). It is  an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all  levels  of  school  education.  It  envisages  the  'school'  as  a  continuum  from  pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels. The States/UTs are assisted by the  central  government  to  implement  the  Samagra  Shiksha  as  a  programme  for  providing universal access and retention, bridging the gender and social category gaps in education and enhancement of learning level of children at all levels of school education.

In order to improve the literacy rate among adults, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Adult Education namely Saakshar Bharat was implemented in the rural areas of 404 districts in 26 States and one UT, that had adult female literacy rate of 50 percent and below as per Census 2001, including left wing extremism affected districts, irrespective of their literacy rates, with special focus on women and other disadvantaged groups, since October 2009. The target was to raise the overall literacy rate of the country to 80 per cent and reduce gender gap to  10  percentage  point  by  end  of  XII  five  year  plan.  The  scheme  was  extended  upto 31.03.2019. During the implementation of Saakshar Bharat scheme, against the overall target of making 7 crore adult non-literates as literates, around 7.64 crore learners, having passed the  biannual  Basic  Literacy  Assessment  Tests  conducted  by  National  Institute  of  Open Schooling (NIOS) between August, 2010 to March, 2018, were certified as literates.

Further,  a  new  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Adult  Education  'Padhna  Likhna Abhiyaan'  is  being  implemented  in  rural  and  urban  areas  of  33  states/  UTs  during  the financial year 2020-21, with a target of making 48.16 lakh adult non-literates as literates. The scheme has been further extended upto 31.03.2022.

The  Union  of  India  has  approved  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme,  namely,  'New India Literacy Programme (NILP)' with the aim to support the States and Union Territories in  promoting  literacy  among  non-literates  in  the  age  group  of  15  and  above,  across  the country  covering  5  crore  non-literates  during  the  implementation  period  from  2022-23  to 2026-27.  The  scheme  has  been  approved  with  a  financial  outlay  of  Rs.1037.90  crore including Central share of Rs.700.00 crore and State share of Rs.337.90 crore.

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