Improvement in minority literacy status vital: Somnath

Aligarh, Feb 24 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today said improvement in minority literacy status is essential for their upliftment.

''It is painful that minority women and children are backward even in the 21st century. There is an urgent need for their upliftment,'' Mr Chatterjee said at a function in the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here.

''Education is the only platform by which a citizen learns about his rights and duties. Therefore, upliftment of the community is only possible by improving there literacy status,'' he added.

He said the Indian constitution was framed taking the democratic rights into consideration. ''It is the duty of both the government and the people to respect the constitution.'' UNI