Himachal attains 99.55% literacy; receives national award on International Literacy Day

The education minister of Himachal Pradesh, Rohit Thakur, received the honour on behalf of the state in the national capital, Delhi and expressed his gratitude to teachers, students, and government officials for the achievement.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 9, 2026 11:10 AM IST

Himachal Pradesh has achieved a literacy rate of 99.55 percent (Express photo)

Himachal Pradesh has achieved 99.55 per cent literacy under the New India Literacy Programme (ULLAS). The state was felicitated on Tuesday, International Literacy Day, with a national award for development in the educational field. The education minister of Himachal Pradesh, Rohit Thakur, received the honour on behalf of the state in the national capital, Delhi and expressed his gratitude to teachers, students, and government officials for the achievement.

The Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society (ULLAS) programme, launched nationally by the central government in 2022, is an initiative aimed at providing basic education and functional literacy to all non-literate adults aged 15 years and above.

The state education minister said that the state comes second after Goa, which has a literacy rate of 99.7 per cent. As per a statement, Himachal Pradesh was declared fully literate on September 8, 2025, with 99.3 per cent literacy.

Read | Why is International Literacy Day celebrated on September 8?

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Thakur said that the Ullas, implemented in Himachal Pradesh during 2023-24, has covered all 12 districts of the state.

According to him, a total of 94,930 learners have been identified and registered on the Ullas portal, while 19,232 volunteer teachers have been registered and trained. He said the state would now focus on sustaining literacy and promoting lifelong learning, digital literacy and vocational skills under the initiative.

Also Read | Six decades after the first Literacy Day, global literacy reaches 88 per cent

Additionally, the state government has also set a target to attain 100 per cent literacy during 2026-27.

— With inputs from PTI

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