Mizoram Becomes India’s First Fully Literate State, Surpasses Kerala and Himachal
SHIMLA/NEW DELHI/AIZAWL:
In a historic first, Mizoram has been officially declared India’s first fully literate state, leaving behind literacy pioneers like Kerala and Himachal Pradesh.
The announcement was made on May 20, 2025, by Chief Minister Lalduhoma during a grand event at Mizoram University in Aizawl, in the presence of Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary and key state dignitaries.
This milestone was achieved under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme), a flagship education scheme by the Ministry of Education targeting adult literacy. Mizoram, which had already registered a 91.33% literacy rate in the 2011 Census, identified 3,026 non-literates through a state-wide survey in 2023.
With the help of 292 volunteer teachers, over 1,600 adults were brought into the fold of literacy, pushing the state’s effective literacy rate to 98.2%, surpassing the 95% benchmark for full literacy set by the Government of India.
The movement was powered by the spirit of Kartavya Bodh (sense of duty) and Mizo community participation, making it a model for the rest of the country.
ULLAS, launched in 2022, has so far enrolled 2.37 crore learners and mobilized over 40.84 lakh volunteer teachers across India.
Earlier, Ladakh had become the first fully literate administrative unit on June 24, 2024—but Mizoram now holds the distinction of being the first full-fledged state to achieve this feat.
This success reaffirms Mizoram’s deep-rooted commitment to education and sets a benchmark for inclusive, volunteer-driven literacy campaigns across India.
