High literacy rate must for growth: PM

New Delhi
Sept. 8: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched the ambitious Saakshar Bharat Mission on International Literacy Day which aims to raise the literacy levels in the country to 80 per cent from the existing level of 64 per cent by 2012. While launching the scheme, the Prime Minister stated that the plan particularly targeted women in the country as the government sees them as force multipliers in the fight against illiteracy.
The scheme seeks to reduce the current literacy gap of 21 per cent to 10 per cent between men and women. To accomplish this, the programme aims to cover 70 million adults, of which 60 million will be women.
“Education empowers. Education liberates. Education ennobles. Education helps nations to march forward, helps them to progress socially and economically. And literacy is the first step in imparting education,” he said.
He pointed out that literacy was central to the success of all progressive programmes and legislations like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Right to Information Act, the Rural Health Mission, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the National Mid-day Meal Programme. “In fact, infrastructure development in the economic sector and female literacy in the social sector are two very critical factors that impede India’s steady climb to a higher and sustainable level of growth and development,” the PM said.
He pointed out that female literacy was absolutely necessary to empower the Indian woman in her everyday struggle in dealing with deprivations.
Union minister Kapil Sibal said that an unacceptably large number of country’s citizens were not enjoying the fruits of socio-economic development because of their literacy status.