The Uttarakhand Cabinet has cleared a proposal to declare the state "fully literate" in line with the literacy benchmarks laid down in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, officials said on Friday.
The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Dehradun.
School Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said Uttarakhand has fulfilled the requirements set under the Centre's Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society (ULLAS) programme.
According to the minister, the state's literacy rate has crossed 98 per cent. He has asked officials of the school education department to speed up the process of sending the proposal to the government. After completing all formalities at the state level, the proposal will be sent to the Centre for official recognition.
Under the ULLAS programme, a state is considered fully literate when at least 95 per cent of its adult population is literate. The programme targets people aged 15 years and above. It aims to provide basic reading and writing skills, life skills, vocational training, elementary education and opportunities for continued learning.
So far, five states — Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim — have already achieved fully literate status.
To meet the literacy targets, the school education department worked closely with social organisations, corporate groups and local communities. Villages were adopted under the campaign to help identify and educate non-literate adults.
Special attention was given to women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other disadvantaged sections of society. Areas where female literacy was below 60 per cent were given priority during the drive, the minister said.
In another decision, the Cabinet approved the promulgation of the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education (Amendment) Regulations, 2026. The state had earlier enacted the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education Act, 2014, which created the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education Council. The council is responsible for recognising Sanskrit schools, framing courses and conducting examinations.
The latest amendments revise the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education Regulations, 2023, which were introduced to implement the provisions of the 2014 Act.
Also read: U'khand STF arrests man over alleged extremist content
Follow us
