Uttarakhand Moves To Be Declared Fully Literate State

Uttarakhand Cabinet approves a proposal to declare the state fully literate under the National Education Policy 2020 framework

June 19, 2026: The Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved a proposal to declare the state “fully literate” in line with the literacy standards outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. School Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said the state has successfully met the benchmarks set under the Centre’s Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society (ULLAS) programme and currently records a literacy rate of more than 98 per cent.

Following the cabinet’s approval, the School Education Department will prepare and forward the proposal to the Central Government for official recognition. Under the ULLAS programme, a state is considered fully literate when adult literacy exceeds 95 per cent, covering nearly the entire non-literate population. The initiative focuses on people above the age of 15 and includes basic literacy, life skills, vocational education and continuing education opportunities.

To achieve this milestone, the state government worked closely with social organisations, corporate groups and local communities to educate non-literate adults. Special attention was given to women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other disadvantaged groups, particularly in areas where female literacy rates were below 60 per cent. In another key decision, the cabinet also approved amendments to the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education Regulations, 2026, aimed at strengthening the state’s Sanskrit education framework.