Question

Which of the following statement /s regarding literacy in India is/ are correct?
1. A person who can only read but cannot write is not defined literate
2. Children below 7 years of age are not taken into consideration even if they are able to read and write
3. For the purpose of the census, a person is deemed literate if he or she can read and write with understanding in any of the 22 languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the constitution
4. The fact that a district has attained hundred percent literacy does not mean that the entire population in the district is literate
A. 1,3 and 4
B. 2, 3 and 4
C. 1, 2 and 3
D. 1, 2 and 4

Answer 1

Hint: Most generally, literacy is described as the ability to read and write. It's not as easy as it sounds, though. Literacy is the ability to use printed and written materials connected with various contexts to define, comprehend, perceive, construct, communicate and compute.

Complete Answer:
- India's literacy is a gateway to socio-economic development, and the Indian literacy rate has risen to 7404% (2011 provisional census figures). India's literacy rate has only "sluggishly" risen, amid government programs. The 2011 census reported a decadal increase of 9.2 percent in literacy between 2001 and 2011, which is slower than the growth shown over the previous decade. An old study from 1990 predicted that it will take India until 2060 to achieve universal literacy at the current rate of development.
- The literacy rate in India has a large gender disparity: successful literacy rates (age 7 and above) were 80.9 percent for men and 64.60 percent for women in 2011. The low rate of female literacy has had a significantly negative effect on efforts in India for family planning and population stabilization.
- Studies have shown that in married Indian couples, female literacy is a good predictor of the use of contraception, even though women do not otherwise have economic freedom. In the 2001-2011-decade period, the census offered a promising indicator that growth in female literacy rates (11.8 percent) was slightly faster than in male literacy rates (6.9 percent), indicating that the gender gap appears to be narrowing.

The right option is B (2,3 and 4).

Note: Jains form India's richest group, according to the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4) carried out in 2015-16. According to its 2011 census, Jains have the highest literacy rate (87 percent) in India, in the 7-year to older age group.