Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
ULLAS
"₹1,037.90 crore central adult-literacy programme (2022-27) targeting 5 crore non-literate adults aged 15+ across India under NEP 2020."
ULLAS — Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society (English) / Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (Hindi) — is the Ministry of Education's flagship adult-literacy programme. Launched in 2022 with a total outlay of ₹1,037.90 crore (Centre + State at 60:40) over the period FY 2022-27, it operationalises Para 21.3 of the National Education Policy, 2020 on adult education. It rests on five pillars: (1) Foundational Literacy and Numeracy; (2) Critical Life Skills (financial, digital, legal, health, electoral); (3) Vocational Skills; (4) Basic Education (preparatory/middle/secondary equivalency via NIOS); (5) Continuing Education. Assessment is through the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT), conducted by NIOS every six months since March 2024. Pass criteria: 33% per section (Reading, Writing, Numeracy) + 33% aggregate. A state/UT is declared 'Fully Literate' when the 15+ literacy rate crosses 95%.
GS2 (welfare schemes, NEP 2020). Prelims: launch year, outlay, target number, FLNAT pass criteria, list of fully-literate states. Mains: functional literacy vs basic literacy; foundational role in demographic dividend conversion.
- 1 Launched 2022; outlay ₹1,037.90 crore (Centre + State 60:40)
- 2 Period: FY 2022-27
- 3 Target: 5 crore non-literate adults aged 15+ by 2027
- 4 Five Pillars: FLN + Life Skills + Vocational + Basic Education + Continuing Ed
- 5 Assessment: FLNAT (NIOS) every 6 months since March 2024
- 6 Pass criteria: 33% per section + 33% aggregate
- 7 Fully Literate benchmark: 95%+ for the 15+ age group
- 8 Fully Literate states: Mizoram (May 2025), Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim (May 28, 2026)
- 9 Fully Literate UT: Ladakh (Jan 2026)
- 10 Implementing Ministry: Education
On May 28, 2026, Sikkim was officially declared a Fully Literate State at the 7th Convocation of Sikkim University in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, with a literacy rate of 99.82% — becoming the 5th state and 6th state/UT to receive the designation.
