CM Dhami Hails Uttarakhand as Fully Literate State
Synopsis
Uttarakhand has been declared a fully literate state under the ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saksharta Programme. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami credited PM Modi's leadership, state commitment, and the collective effort of teachers and volunteers who overcame the state's difficult Himalayan terrain to achieve the milestone.
Key Takeaways
Uttarakhand has been officially declared a fully literate state under the ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saksharta Programme .
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi extended congratulations to the state on the declaration.
CM Dhami credited PM Narendra Modi's leadership , state government commitment, and the collective participation of teachers, volunteers, and citizens.
The ULLAS programme was launched in 2022 to address adult literacy and foundational learning gaps across India.
Dhami said the government's ambition extends beyond literacy to digital literacy, skill development, and lifelong learning for every citizen.
Uttarakhand's achievement is notable given its difficult Himalayan terrain and remote habitations.
Against the backdrop of the Himalayas — a terrain of remote villages, steep ridges, and habitations that have long defied easy governance — Uttarakhand has crossed a milestone that many plains states have struggled to reach: full literacy. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the feat on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, crediting a collective effort of teachers, volunteers, and citizens for pushing the state past the finish line under the central ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saksharta Programme.
In his post, CM Dhami expressed gratitude to Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, who had extended congratulations on the declaration, and attributed the achievement to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'कठिन भौगोलिक परिस्थितियों के बावजूद उत्तराखंड ने पूर्ण साक्षरता का लक्ष्य प्राप्त किया' — 'Despite difficult geographical conditions, Uttarakhand has achieved the goal of full literacy' — he wrote, framing the state's rugged geography not as an excuse but as a measure of how hard the win actually was.
What the ULLAS Programme Set Out to Do
The ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saksharta Programme was launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Education to address adult literacy and foundational learning gaps across India. Designed as the successor to earlier national literacy missions, it targets citizens above the age of fifteen who missed formal schooling, deploying volunteers and technology to reach learners in their own communities. Uttarakhand's declaration under this framework places it among a select group of states to have met the programme's full-literacy threshold.
The challenge in Uttarakhand was never bureaucratic — it was physical. Scattered hamlets at high altitude, seasonal road closures, and a population spread across difficult hill districts meant that reaching every adult learner required sustained ground-level mobilisation. Teachers and volunteers who carried literacy instruction into those pockets are the human infrastructure behind the number.
Dhami's Broader Education Pledge
CM Dhami made clear that full literacy is a floor, not a ceiling. His government's stated ambition, he wrote, extends to quality education, digital literacy, skill development, and lifelong learning for every citizen. That framing positions the declaration not as a closing chapter but as the starting point of a more ambitious education agenda for the state — one that tracks closely with the National Education Policy 2020's emphasis on foundational learning as a gateway to higher-order skills.
Across India, the ULLAS framework is still unfolding, and several states remain short of full-literacy declarations. Uttarakhand's achievement, delivered from some of the country's most challenging terrain, now stands as a reference point for what state-level commitment can accomplish when layered onto a centrally sponsored programme.
The mountains did not move — but the classrooms found a way to reach them anyway. That, for Uttarakhand, is the real headline.
Point of View
The milestone arrives as political currency — proof that state machinery can execute centrally sponsored schemes even in difficult terrain. The extension of ambition to digital literacy and skill development signals alignment with NEP 2020's lifelong-learning architecture, though translating that pledge into measurable outcomes in hill districts will be the harder test. As more states are pushed toward ULLAS declarations, Uttarakhand's model of volunteer-led, terrain-aware mobilisation could inform the national playbook.
NationPress
13 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for Uttarakhand to be declared a fully literate state?
It means Uttarakhand has met the full-literacy threshold set under the ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saksharta Programme, indicating that adult literacy gaps across the state have been addressed to the programme's required standard.
What is the ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saksharta Programme?
The ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saksharta Programme is a central government scheme launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Education to improve adult literacy and foundational learning for citizens above fifteen years of age who missed formal schooling.
Who congratulated Uttarakhand on achieving full literacy?
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi extended congratulations to Uttarakhand on being declared a fully literate state, which CM Dhami acknowledged in his post.
Why is Uttarakhand's literacy achievement considered significant?
Uttarakhand's difficult Himalayan terrain, remote villages, and scattered habitations made reaching every adult learner a logistical challenge, making the full-literacy declaration particularly notable compared to more accessible states.
What are CM Dhami's plans beyond basic literacy for Uttarakhand?
CM Dhami has stated that his government aims to provide every citizen with quality education, digital literacy, skill development, and lifelong learning opportunities — going well beyond the foundational literacy milestone.
