(a) the current female literacy rate in Maharashtra and the position of Maharashtra in the
country in terms of female literacy rate;
(b) the reason for the low female literacy rate in Maharashtra;
(c) the steps taken by the Union Government to increase female literacy rate in Maharashtra;
and
(d) the extent to which female literacy rate in Maharashtra has been raised by the steps taken?
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL ''NISHANK'')
(a) & (b) The literacy data in the country is collected through decennial census operation
conducted by Registrar General of India. The last Census was held in 2011. A statement
indicating State/UT and rank-wise female literacy rate in the country including Maharashtra,
in the age group of 7 and above, as per Census 2011 is at Annexure. The female literacy rate
in Maharashtra is 75.87 per cent compared to the national average of female literacy rate of
64.63 per cent and stands at 13th place in the country. Various factors viz. poverty, gender
and social inequities, etc. are impeding female literacy in the country.
(c) In order to improve the female literacy rate in the country, the scheme of Saakshar Bharat
was implemented in the rural areas of 410 districts in 26 States and one UT, including 10
districts in Maharashtra, that had adult female literacy rate of 50 per cent and below as per
Census 2001, and including left wing extremism affected districts, irrespective of their
literacy rates, with special focus on women and other disadvantaged groups.
In addition, the Department of School Education and Literacy has launched the
Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education as a Centrally Sponsored
Scheme with effect from the year 2018-19. This programme subsumes the three erstwhile
Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). Samagra Shiksha is an overarching
programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims
to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.
Under Samagra Shiksha, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) are residential
schools from class VI to XII for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST,
OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL) to ensure access and quality education to girls
from disadvantaged groups by setting up residential schools and to reduce gender gaps at all
levels of school education.
Various interventions have also been targeted for girls under Samagra Shiksha
including opening of schools in the neighbourhood, provision of free text-books to girls up to
Class VIII, uniforms to all girls up to class VIII, provision of gender segregated toilets in all
schools, teachers’ sensitization programmes to promote girls’ participation, provision for
Self-Defence training for the girls from classes VI to XII and stipend to Children With
Special Needs (CWSN) girls from class I to Class XII.
(d) Census 2011 recorded female literacy rate of Maharashtra as 75.87 per cent compared to
67.03 per cent in 2001 and 52.3 per cent in 1991. Under the Saakshar Bharat programme in
Maharashtra, 10.5 lakh adult learners appeared in the Biannual Basic Literacy Assessment
Test conducted by National Institute of Open Schooling between August, 2010 to March,
2018 (including 6.2 lakh women) and 7.44 lakh learners (including 4.46 lakh women) were
declared successful.
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