Rajasthan has the highest 17,39,089 out-of-school children, aged 14-18, among the northern states and Union Territories, followed by Punjab at 4,24,110 and Haryana at 3,44,446, according to the latest data of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24 presented at the 22nd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Northern Zonal Council in Shimla for discussions on measures to reduce school dropout rates in the region.
According to the data, among 17,39,089 children in Rajasthan, 8,24,712 are boys — out of the total population of 41,13,591 boys in the age group — and 9,14,377 are girls — out of the total population of 37,41,100 girls in the state.
Similarly, among 4,24,110 children in Punjab, 2,27,416 are boys, out of the total population of 11,80,223 boys and 1,96,694 girls, out of the total population of 10,70,466 girls in the state.
In Haryana, of the 3,44,446 children, 2,03,906 are boys, out of the total population of 13,65,434 and 1,40,540 girls, out of the total population of 10,12,140.
Delhi has 1,51,649 out-of-school children in the age group, including 1,10,669 boys and 40,980 girls.
Himachal Pradesh reported 64,055 children not attending school; of these, 29,795 are boys, and 34,260 are girls. The PLFS 2023-24 estimates the total population in this age group in the state at 2,94,037 boys and 2,56,680 girls.
Jammu and Kashmir has 85,785 out-of-school children, comprising 36,935 boys and 48,850 girls.
Chandigarh reported 8,596 out-of-school children, including 2,033 boys and 6,563 girls, while Ladakh recorded the lowest number in the region, with 2,236 children not attending school, including 1,763 boys and 473 girls.
Overall, the northern region accounts for 28,19,966 children, 14,37,229 boys and 13,82,737 girls, aged 14-18 years, not attending school
A senior officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said, “The states and Union Territories covered under the Northern Zonal Council include Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Delhi and Chandigarh. There is a need to bring down these figures.”
The officer said, “The new PLFS Survey is scheduled to be held in the coming months.”
Officials said the data, drawn from PLFS 2023-24, was discussed for measures to reduce school dropout rates and improve school attendance across the northern states and Union Territories.
The figures, they said, would help governments identify vulnerable groups and formulate targeted interventions to bring out-of-school children back into the education system.
Latest PLFS data reveals Rajasthan has the highest number of out-of-school adolescents (14-18 years) in the northern region at over 17.3 lakh, followed by Punjab and Haryana. 
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