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The Ministry of Education held the national-level celebration of International Literacy Day 2026 in New Delhi, with Minister of State for Education Shri Jayant Chaudhary saying literacy and education must be reimagined as instruments of empowerment and active citizenship.
The event was organised by the Department of School Education & Literacy around this year's theme, 'Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity'.
Tripura Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha said the state had reached a 95.6% literacy rate, crossing the Centre's benchmark for being declared fully literate.
A Literacy Fortnight is running from 1 to 14 September 2026, and an ULLAS Mela at National Bal Bhawan brings together participants from 29 States and UTs.
The Minister argued that literacy must extend beyond reading and writing to comprehension, financial literacy and digital literacy.
A centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2022 for FYs 2022-23 to 2026-27, giving foundational literacy and numeracy, critical life skills, basic education and vocational skills to non-literates aged 15 years and above.
Key: ULLAS expands to 'Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society'. It is run by the Department of School Education & Literacy under the Ministry of Education, is volunteer-based, and uses an Online Teaching, Learning and Assessment System (OTLAS). Learners are certified through the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT), and a State or UT crossing 95% literacy is declared fully literate.
The predecessor adult literacy programme, launched on 8 September 2009 as a centrally sponsored scheme, recasting the National Literacy Mission with a focus on women's literacy.
Key: It certified 7.64 crore persons as literate between 2009-10 and 2017-18 before it ended. The National Literacy Mission it recast dates to 1988.
National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy, launched by the Ministry of Education in July 2021 to secure foundational literacy and numeracy for every child by the end of Grade 3 by 2026-27.
Key: Implemented under Samagra Shiksha for the 3-9 age group, with teacher training on the DIKSHA platform and play-based Jaadui Pitara material. It is the school-side counterpart to ULLAS, which works with adults.
The policy framework both programmes derive from. It makes universal foundational literacy and numeracy the highest priority of the school system and treats adult education and lifelong learning as a distinct pillar.
Key: NEP 2020 replaced the National Policy on Education of 1986 and is the stated basis for designing ULLAS as a lifelong-learning programme rather than a purely literacy one.
The UN specialised agency that declared International Literacy Day in 1966 and sets its annual theme; also the body behind the World Heritage and Man and the Biosphere programmes.
Nodal department for ULLAS, NIPUN Bharat and Samagra Shiksha; it organised the International Literacy Day 2026 celebration and the Literacy Fortnight.
Two halves of one foundational-learning goal — NIPUN Bharat works on children up to Grade 3 through schools, ULLAS on non-literates aged 15 and above through volunteers. The age group and the delivery route are what get swapped in options.
SDG 4 on quality education carries a specific adult literacy and numeracy target, and India's literacy reporting is framed against it — which is why the 2026 theme ties literacy to 'the planet and prosperity'.
Ladakh was the first UT declared fully functionally literate under ULLAS, followed by States including Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The tested detail is that the threshold is 95%, not 100%.
GS Paper 2 > Governance > Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector - Education
General Awareness > Government Schemes and Important Days
Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society — the New India Literacy Programme for non-literates aged 15 and above, running 2022-27.
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test, through which ULLAS learners are certified; it tests reading with comprehension, writing and numeracy.
A sense of duty and people's participation — the twin framings used for mass mobilisation during the Literacy Fortnight.