April 17, 2007 No
Literate Adult
Among 26 Percent Rural Families
New Delhi
At least 26 percent of rural families in India and eight percent of
urban families have no literate member over the age of 15, says a
National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) report.
The report - the third of a seven-part series based on
employment-unemployment data of the NSS' 61st round - says that in
almost 50 percent of rural families there is still no literate woman
above the age of 15. This figure is naturally smaller in urban
families, says the survey, placing female illiteracy above the age
of 15 at 20 percent.
Of the people surveyed, 73 percent belonged to rural India,
accounting for 75 percent of the total population covered by the
organization. The literacy rate was 64 percent during 2004-05, the
report says, adding that it was 55 percent in rural areas and 75
percent in urban.
Sixty-four percent of rural males and 45 percent of rural females
were literate. The literacy rates among their urban counterparts
were much higher at 81 percent and 69 percent, respectively, said
the report.
The highest incidence of illiteracy among those above the age of 15
is rural Bihar with records showing 38 percent and the lowest is
Kerala, recording only three percent.
In urban areas, too, Kerala leads in literacy, with only one percent
of the state's population above the age of 15 turning out to be
illiterate. Literacy is marginally higher among urban Biharis than
urban Rajasthanis, with 16 percent illiteracy in Rajasthan cities as
against 15 percent in Bihar towns. West Bengal stands marginally
better at 14 percent.
The proportion of non-literates was highest in the bottom monthly
per capita expenditure (MPCE) class and it decreased gradually as
the MPCE increased; this proportion was largely similar in rural and
urban areas.
The literacy report, which provides statistics on literacy,
attainment of general and technical education, current attendance in
educational institutions, covers all of India except parts of Jammu
and Kashmir, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that remained
inaccessible through the year.
The level of literacy in Jammu and Kashmir is adequately high and
the situation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is also better than
most other states, said government sources.
Boloji.com is owned and managed by Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer
No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
