Lakshadweep declared a fully literate Union Territory under ULLAS
13-10-2026 · English
Topics: Education · 13 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)
News
Under ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, Administrator Praful Patel declared Lakshadweep a 'fully literate' Union Territory at Kavaratti (Oct 2026). All 1,113 non-literate adults identified in a survey passed the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) conducted by NIOS. It is the second UT to reach this status, after Ladakh (June 2024).
Key facts
| Declared by | Administrator Praful Patel, Kavaratti – Oct 2026 |
| Learners | 1,113 adults – passed NIOS's FLNAT |
| Benchmark | 95% literacy = 'fully literate' (ULLAS) |
| Earlier | Ladakh (June 2024, first UT); Mizoram (May 2025, first State); Goa; Tripura; Himachal Pradesh; Sikkim; Uttarakhand |
| Census 2011 | Lakshadweep literacy 91.85% |
Background
- ULLAS – Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society; a centrally sponsored scheme of the Education Ministry (2022–27), aligned with NEP 2020, for people aged 15+ who missed school.
- Census definition: a person aged 7+ who can read and write with understanding in any language is literate. India was 74.04% in 2011; highest Kerala (93.91%), lowest Bihar.
- Lakshadweep: 36 islands, capital Kavaratti; under the Kerala High Court; the 8° Channel separates Minicoy from the Maldives and the 9° Channel separates it from the rest of Lakshadweep.
Tamil Nadu link: Tamil Nadu's literacy was 80.09% in Census 2011, with Kanniyakumari the top district. The 'Arivoli Iyakkam' led literacy work in Tamil Nadu in the 1990s. Tamil Nadu has not yet been declared fully literate under ULLAS.
Source: GKToday, NewsBytes, Indian Awaaz, Oct 2026; gk365 (earlier declarations)
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