Planning Commission targets 8.5 per cent literacy rate

Shillong, Nov 30 (UNI) The Planning Commission has set a target of increasing the literacy rate in the country by 8.5 per cent by the end of its 11th Five Year Plan.

A Planning Commission official today said that according to the 2001 Census, the total literacy rate of the country was 64.84 per cent, with male literacy rate being 75.26 per cent and female literacy rate 53.67 per cent with the state of Kerela leading.

In the North Eastern region, Mizoram had the highest literacy rate of 88.80 per cent, followed by Tripura 73.19 per cent. Manipur has a literacy rate of 70.53 per cent, Nagaland 66.59 per cent, Assam 63.25 per cent, Meghalaya 62.56 per cent and Arunachal Pradesh 54.34 per cent.

As in the rest of the country, the male population had a higher literacy rate than the female population in all of the NE states.

UNI