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Presenting International Literacy Day Awards, here today, Shri Arjun Singh, Minister for Human Resource Development emphasized on the need for striving hard to make literacy a live and relevant movement again in the country. Referring to late Shri Rajiv Gandhi and his contribution for literacy movement throughout the country, the HRD Minister expressed his regret for bureaucratization of this campaign. He reiterated his commitment to eliminating illiteracy from the country.
Today literacy is not just essential for every citizen but it is also one of the basic requirement to understand their responsibility in the development of the nation, the Minister remarked. Highlighting the role of women in literacy movement, the Minster said that about 10 lakh women members elected to panchayats, by involving these women members would make literacy a successful movement in the country.
Speaking on this occasion, Md. A.A. Fatmi, Minister of State for Human Resource Development called for redouble up our efforts to ensure access and quality in literacy and education programmes so that we can declare India a truly literate nation. Mentioning that vast differences in the literacy levels still persist among different sections of population, the Minister informed that projects for reduction of residual illiteracy are also being taken up across the country.
On this occasion, Shri Arjun Singh gave away the National Literacy Mission (NLM)-UNESCO Awards to three institutions, which have done commendable work in the field of literacy and adult education. These institutions are : (1) Jan Shikshan Santhan, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradash, (2) State Resource Centre, Jaipur, Rajasthan and (3) Centre for Adult Continuing Education & Extension, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.
The award includes a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and a citation.
Shri Arjun Singh also gave away Satyen Maitra Memorial Literacy Award, instituted by NLM to the three districts for implementing total literacy campaign, post literacy campaign and continuing education programme. These districts are: (1) Bhagalpur, Bihar—for Total Literacy Campaign, (2) Pauri Garhwal, Uttaranchal—for Post Literacy Programme and (3) Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu—for Continuing Education Programme.
The award includes shield and citation.
The HRD Minister also gave away special awards to 28 persons for their outstanding work in the field of literacy and adult education. The awardees are from Bihar (2), Karnataka (5), Kerala (2), Rajasthan (8), Jharkhand (2), Pondicherry (2), Orissa (5) and Tamil Nadu (2). The awardees include literacy activists, preraks, assistant preraks and volunteer teachers.
Smt. Kumud Bansal, Secretary, (Elementary Education and Literacy), Government of India also spoke on the occasion.
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