Himachal Pradesh Declared Fully Literate

On International Literacy Day 2025, the Ministry of Education declared Himachal Pradesh the fifth State/UT to achieve full functional literacy with 99.30% literacy, after Tripura, Mizoram, Goa, and Ladakh.

• India’s literacy rate has increased from 74% in 2011 to 80.9% in 2023–24.

Definition of Literacy and Full Literacy (As per the Ministry of Education (MoE))

• Literacy: Ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension; includes digital literacy, financial literacy, and critical life skills.
• Full Literacy: Achieving 95% literacy in a State/UT (considered equivalent to 100%).
• Assessment: Under NILP, a non-literate person is officially recognised as literate upon clearing the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT).

About New India Literacy Programme (NILP)

• Overview: NILP, also known as ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society), is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at eradicating illiteracy among individuals aged 15 years and above.
• Ministry: Ministry of Education (MoE) 
• Tenure: Implemented during FY 2022–27 (5 years).
• Implementation: NILP is volunteer-driven, leveraging the support of student volunteers and community participation for teaching and learning.
• Beneficiaries: The beneficiaries under the scheme are identified through door to door survey on the Mobile App by the surveyors in the States/UTs.
  • All the non-literate above 15 years of age can avail the benefits of the scheme.
• Objective
  • Target all non-literate adults (15+ years), with emphasis on women and educationally backward states.
  • Educate 5 crore learners (1 crore per year) through the Online Teaching, Learning and Assessment System (OTLAS), developed with NIC, NCERT, and NIOS.
• Five Components of NILP
• • Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) – Basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.
  • Critical Life Skills – Digital literacy, financial literacy, health awareness, and legal literacy.
  • Basic Education – Equivalent to Classes 3, 5, and 8.
  • Vocational Skills Development – Skill-building to enhance employability.
  • Continuing Education – Lifelong learning opportunities and community libraries.

Challenges faced due to Illiteracy

• Financial Transactions: Difficulty in handling and understanding financial matters.
• Job Applications: Inability to complete job applications and engage effectively in the job market.
• Media and Technology Comprehension: Challenges in understanding and utilising media and technology.
• Understanding Rights: Limited ability to comprehend personal rights and responsibilities.
• Participation in Productive Sectors: Restricted participation in sectors requiring higher literacy and technical skills.

Government Initiatives on Literacy

• Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan: An integrated programme for school education spanning Pre-school to Class XII, to provide inclusive and equitable quality education.
• National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: Introduces the National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy to ensure universal foundational literacy in all primary schools by 2025, with state-specific targets and timelines.
• NIPUN Bharat: Launched to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy for Class 3 children by 2026–27. It follows a five-tier implementation structure (National, State, District, Block, and School level) under the Samagra Shiksha scheme.

About International Literacy Day (ILD)

• Background: Since 1967, International Literacy Day has been observed annually on 8 September, following UNESCO’s 1966 proclamation. 
  • It serves as a reminder to policymakers and the public about the critical role of literacy in creating just, peaceful, and sustainable societies.
• Theme for ILD 2025: “Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era.”
  • The focus is on digital literacy—the ability to access, evaluate, create, and share online content while fostering critical thinking, discernment of credible information, and safe digital engagement.
  • Opportunities: Digital tools can expand access to learning, particularly for marginalised groups.
  • Risks: Double marginalisation- Digitalisation can worsen exclusion, raise concerns over privacy, surveillance, ethics, bias, passive consumption, and environmental impact.
• Importance of Literacy:
  • Recognised as a fundamental human right that enables access to other rights and freedoms.
  • Provides the foundation for acquiring knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary for equality, justice, diversity, tolerance, and global citizenship.
• Current Global Challenges:
  • 739 million youth and adults still lack basic literacy skills (2024).
  • 4 in 10 children fail to achieve minimum reading proficiency.
  • 272 million children and adolescents were out of school in 2023.

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