Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 10: According to the 2023-24 Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the literacy rate among Muslims for individuals aged 7 and above stands at 79.5%, slightly lower than the national average of 80.9% for all religious groups. This information was shared by Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
In his response, Rijiju explained that the government has adopted a comprehensive approach to the development of minority communities, focusing particularly on educational empowerment, economic development, infrastructure, and the strengthening of minority institutions. He further emphasized that the Ministry is responsible for formulating policies, schemes, and programs aimed at the welfare of six notified minority communities: Buddhists, Christians, Jains, Muslims, Parsis, and Sikhs.
The Minister also highlighted the improvement in the literacy rate among Muslims over the last few decades, noting a significant narrowing of the literacy gap between Muslims and other religious communities. Citing data from the Census 2001, he pointed out that the literacy rate among Muslims aged 7 and above was 59.1%, while the national average for the same age group was 64.8%. By Census 2011, the literacy rate among Muslims had risen to 68.5%, reflecting a 9.4 percentage point increase compared to Census 2001. The national literacy rate in 2011 stood at 73%.
Additionally, the Minister provided details about educational empowerment initiatives for minority communities, specifically in Odisha. For the academic year 2022-23, the government provided Pre-Matric Scholarships to 700 students, a significant increase from 25,620 beneficiaries in 2021-22. The number of Post-Matric Scholarships granted in Odisha also rose from 4,030 in 2021-22 to 779 in 2022-23.
Rijiju emphasized the government’s commitment to promoting education among minority children across the country. As part of these efforts, a variety of scholarship schemes have been implemented to help reduce dropout rates and provide socio-economic empowerment. Notably, 30% of these scholarships are reserved for girl students from minority communities.
Key schemes include the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme, launched in January 2008 for students in Class 9 (extended until 2021-22), the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme (launched in November 2007 for students from Class 9 to Ph.D.), and the Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme for technical and professional courses at the undergraduate/postgraduate level, also introduced in 2007.