|
Literacy
Challenge of the 21st Century
Raj
Kumar
Introduction
There
is little debate about whether literacy is a major
problem in today's India. Indeed, it is near the
top of the policy agenda of the Government of
India (GoI). A quick glance at statistics gives a
relative picture of the state of literacy in India
for both males & females on a state-by-state
basis 1 see Table
1
. According to the statistics published by
the census bureau of India, almost a 460 million
people remain illiterates in 2001 this in spite of
average decadal growth of 7.85%2 from
1951 till 2001 see Table
2
.
|
State
|
Literacy
Rate (2001 Census) (in %)
|
Change
In Literacy Rate
(1991
-2001)
|
PERSONS
|
MALES
|
FEMALES
|
|
|
81.18
|
86.07
|
75.29
|
8.17
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
61.11
|
70.85
|
51.17
|
17.02
|
|
Arunachal
Pradesh
|
54.74
|
64.07
|
44.24
|
13.15
|
|
Assam
|
64.28
|
71.93
|
56.03
|
11.52
|
|
Bihar
|
47.53
|
60.32
|
33.57
|
|
|
Chandigargh
|
81.76
|
85.65
|
76.65
|
3.94
|
|
Chhatisgarh
|
65.18
|
77.86
|
52.40
|
22.27
|
|
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
|
60.03
|
73.32
|
42.99
|
19.33
|
|
Daman
& Diu
|
81.09
|
88.40
|
70.37
|
9.89
|
|
Delhi
|
81.82
|
87.37
|
75.00
|
6.53
|
|
Goa
|
82.32
|
88.88
|
75.51
|
6.81
|
|
Gujarat
|
69.97
|
80.50
|
58.60
|
8.68
|
|
Haryana
|
68.59
|
79.25
|
56.31
|
12.74
|
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
77.13
|
86.02
|
68.08
|
13.27
|
|
Jammu & Kashmir
|
54.46
|
65.75
|
41.82
|
NA
|
|
Jharkhand
|
54.13
|
67.94
|
39.38
|
12.74
|
|
Karnataka
|
67.04
|
76.29
|
57.45
|
11.00
|
|
Kerala
|
90.92
|
94.20
|
87.86
|
1.11
|
|
Lakshadweep
|
87.52
|
93.15
|
81.56
|
5.74
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
64.11
|
76.80
|
50.28
|
19.41
|
|
Maharashtra
|
77.27
|
86.27
|
67.51
|
12.39
|
|
Manipur
|
68.87
|
77.87
|
59.70
|
8.97
|
|
Meghalaya
|
63.31
|
66.14
|
60.41
|
14.21
|
|
Mizoram
|
88.49
|
90.69
|
86.13
|
6.22
|
|
Nagaland
|
67.11
|
71.77
|
61.92
|
5.45
|
|
Orissa
|
63.61
|
75.95
|
50.97
|
14.52
|
|
Pondicherry
|
81.49
|
88.89
|
74.13
|
6.74
|
|
Punjab
|
69.95
|
75.63
|
63.55
|
11.45
|
|
Rajasthan
|
61.03
|
76.46
|
44.34
|
22.48
|
|
Sikkim
|
69.68
|
76.73
|
61.46
|
12.61
|
|
Tamil Nadu
|
73.47
|
82.33
|
64.55
|
10.81
|
|
Tripura
|
73.66
|
81.47
|
65.41
|
13.22
|
|
Uttar
Pradesh
|
57.36
|
70.23
|
42.98
|
16.65
|
|
Uttaranchal
|
72.28
|
84.01
|
60.26
|
14.53
|
|
West Bengal
|
69.22
|
77.58
|
60.22
|
11.52
|
INDIA
|
65.38
|
75.96
|
54.28
|
|
Table 1
– Literacy Rates In Indian States
|
Year
|
Total Literacy (%)
|
% Decadal Growth
|
|
| | 