Abstract
Literacy is considered as one of the key foundation stones for any development process in the society. It increases the capabilities of individuals, families and communities to access health, educational, political, economic and cultural opportunities and services. This study deals with the literacy status of Empowered Action Group (EAG) States of India. It highlights the gender disparity in literacy, rural-urban differential in literacy and literacy differential among the various social groups in EAG as well as Non-EAG States. It also examines the district level literacy variations especially in EAG States. The study uses the Census data of 2001 and 2011 to fulfil the objectives. It finds that though the disparity in literacy rates between EAG and Non-EAG States is still substantial, between 2001 and 2011 the growth of literacy rate,especiallyin rural areas, is found to be much higher in EAG States than Non-EAG States. More importantly, between 2001 and 2011, gender disparity in literacy rate has decreased in both EAG and Non-EAG States.
Highlights
Literacy is a human right and the foundation of all developmental processes
Status of Literacy: India, Empowered Action Group (EAG) and Non-EAG States: we have presented the overall picture of literacy of EAG States among rural, urban and total population
Among the EAG States, the highest level of literacy is found in Uttaranchal and the lowest in Bihar in both 2001 and 2011 censuses.Though in Bihar the literacy rate has increased to 14.8 percentage points between 2001 and 2011, only 61.8 per cent of the population is counted as literate during 2011 census
Summary
Literacy is a human right and the foundation of all developmental processes. It has an intrinsic importance because it increases a person’s freedom and sense of security. It has an instrumental significance as it strengthens the capabilities of individuals, families and communities to access health, educational, political, economic and cultural opportunities and services (UNESCO, 2005). In 1991, when India liberalised its economy, its adult literacy rate was significantly lower compared to the so-called ‘East Asian Tigers’ – South Korea,Hong Kong,Singapore and Taiwan. The adult literacy rate in Taiwan in Journal of Rural Development, Vol 36, No 4, October- December : 2017
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