Agartala: Tripura has officially become the third state in India to achieve full functional literacy, following in the footsteps of Mizoram and Goa. The announcement was made by the Union Ministry of Education on Monday under the centrally sponsored ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme), a flagship initiative launched in 2022 to promote adult literacy across the country.
The recognition marks a major milestone for Tripura, which now boasts a literacy rate of 95.6%, crossing the national benchmark of 95% literacy among individuals aged 15 years and above required to be declared a fully literate state.
Speaking at a celebratory event in Agartala, Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha hailed the achievement as a “historic milestone in Tripura’s journey towards complete literacy.” He also noted the state’s significant progress since 1961, when its literacy rate stood at just 20.24%.
The event was also attended by Preeti Meena, Director of the Union Ministry of Education’s Adult Literacy Department, who underscored the government’s vision of making India fully literate by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “In Tripura, we identified 23,184 non-literate adults and extended support under ULLAS to help them become literate. This contributed to the state’s remarkable leap in literacy,” she said.
Meena encouraged newly literate citizens to continue learning and urged the state to ensure that Tripura is formally recorded as fully literate in the upcoming 2027 Census.
Tripura’s achievement follows Mizoram, which became India’s first fully literate state on May 20, and Goa, which was declared fully literate on May 30. The ULLAS programme aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, focusing on inclusive education and lifelong learning opportunities.
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