Smriti sets March '16 deadline for full literacy in MP-adopted villages

Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday set March 2016 as deadline for achieving 100 per cent literacy rate in villages adopted by the Members of Parliament under Prime Minister’s Adarsh Gram Yojna.

President Pranab Mukherjee appreciated Irani’s move which he said was essential to make “new India” at a function organised by the HRD ministry to mark International Literacy Day.

 “We have written to MPs who have identified (adopted) villages under Sansad Gram Yojna. Let us make such villages 100 per cent literate by March 2016,” Irani said addressing the function attended by volunteers and officials from various states implementing the ministry’s adult education and literacy programmes.

Addressing the function, president said though India had made a substantial progress in last six decades in its effort to scale up literacy rate, there is still a long way to go.

“We must admit that we might have come from abysmal figure of 18 per cent in 1951 to 72.99 per cent in 2011 but we are still way behind, many of the countries in South Asia  have almost 100 per cent literacy rate,” Mukherjee said.

The president highlighted the need for “societal participation” in achieving government’s target of 100 percent literacy rate, saying literacy alone can bring development, empowerment and sustainability and achieve desired goals set under the Saakshar Bharat and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan programmes.

“The Minister (Irani) has announced the target. I wish her all success,” he said.
 Parliamentarians have identified 692 villages across the country under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. The programme envisages integrated development of these villages across multiple areas including agriculture, health, education, sanitation, environment, livelihoods, instead of just infrastructure development.