Jagan accuses Naidu govt of faking AP literacy rate jump to 82.1%
Synopsis
Jagan Mohan Reddy has called out Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh's claim of an 82.1% literacy rate for 2026 as fabricated — pointing to NSSO data that actually shows the state's literacy rate fell to 71.4% in 2025. The dispute, backed by central government survey citations, cuts to the heart of the Naidu administration's credibility on education governance.
Key Takeaways
Jagan Mohan Reddy on 4 September accused the Naidu government of spreading misinformation on Andhra Pradesh's literacy rate.
Education Minister Nara Lokesh claimed the state's literacy rate rose from 72.6% in 2024 to 82.1% in 2026.
PLFS 2023-24 data (NSSO) places AP's literacy rate at 72.6% ; the PLFS 2025 report, published 2 July 2026 , places it at 71.4% .
Jagan argues no official authority has released literacy data for calendar year 2026 , as the year is not yet complete.
UDISE data cited by Jagan reportedly shows declining government school enrolment and rising private school enrolment in AP.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on 4 September accused the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition government of spreading 'misinformation propaganda' after Education Minister Nara Lokesh claimed the state's literacy rate had risen from 72.6% in 2024 to 82.1% in 2026. Jagan posted his rebuttal on X, asserting that no official authority has released literacy data for calendar year 2026, since the year is yet to conclude.
What the Official Data Actually Shows
Jagan cited two central government surveys to counter Lokesh's claim. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report for 2023-24, conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, places Andhra Pradesh's literacy rate at 72.6% for the age group of 7 years and above — covering the period June 2023 to June 2024. The comparable figure for 2018-19 was 69.1%.
He further noted that the PLFS Annual Report for calendar year 2025, published on 2 July 2026 and covering January 2025 to December 2025, places the state's literacy rate at 71.4% for the same age group — a figure that actually represents a decline from the 2023-24 reading.
Jagan's Core Allegation
'It's shocking to see the extent of misinformation propaganda by the present Andhra Pradesh Government,' Jagan wrote in his post on X. He argued that with official NSSO data publicly available and unambiguous, the state government's claim of an 82.1% literacy rate for 2026 has no verifiable statistical basis. 'When things are so amply clear, for a Government to make false claims and attempt to hoodwink the people of the State is most unfortunate,' he said.
School Enrolment Concern
Beyond the literacy figures, Jagan flagged what he described as a worrying trend in school enrolment. Citing data from UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education), released by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, he alleged that enrolment in government schools in Andhra Pradesh is declining while enrolment in private schools is rising — a shift he attributed to policy changes introduced by the current state administration.
'Instead of focussing on how to make education more accessible to children from economically weaker backgrounds, the TDP alliance Government is preoccupied in making false claims through its deception tactics,' Jagan said, adding a pointed remark directed at the minister: 'It is advisable that the Minister of Education devotes greater time and effort towards his department and not to red book governance.'
The Broader Political Context
This comes amid an ongoing war of narratives between the YSRCP and the TDP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Andhra Pradesh, which took office following the 2024 state assembly elections. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's administration has been keen to demonstrate governance gains across sectors including education, while the YSRCP has consistently challenged those claims. The literacy rate dispute is the latest flashpoint in that rivalry, with both sides invoking central government data — though arriving at starkly different conclusions. Jagan's specific citation of NSSO and UDISE sources signals an effort to anchor the opposition's critique in verifiable, Union government-published figures rather than political rhetoric alone.
Point of View
Nearly ten — exposes a deeper problem in Indian state-level governance: the selective use of central data to claim credit while ignoring unflattering figures from the same source. Jagan's citation of PLFS 2025, which shows AP's literacy rate actually dropped to 71.4%, is a direct challenge to the Lokesh claim and is difficult to dismiss since both figures originate from the same NSSO framework. What mainstream coverage may miss is the UDISE enrolment angle: if government school rolls are shrinking, any literacy gains become structurally harder to sustain, regardless of which survey one chooses. The Naidu administration has not yet publicly responded with a counter-source, which is the real accountability gap here.
NationPress
4 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Nara Lokesh claim about Andhra Pradesh's literacy rate?
Education Minister Nara Lokesh claimed that Andhra Pradesh's literacy rate increased from 72.6% in 2024 to 82.1% in 2026, presenting this as a governance achievement of the Naidu-led coalition government.
Why does Jagan say the 82.1% literacy figure for 2026 is false?
Jagan argues that no official authority — including the NSSO or any central government body — has released literacy statistics for calendar year 2026, since the year has not yet ended. He cited PLFS data showing the rate stood at 71.4% as recently as 2025.
What does the official NSSO data say about AP's literacy rate?
The PLFS Annual Report for 2023-24 places Andhra Pradesh's literacy rate at 72.6% for those aged 7 and above. The PLFS report for calendar year 2025, published on 2 July 2026, records it at 71.4% — lower than the 2023-24 figure.
What is the UDISE concern Jagan raised?
Jagan cited UDISE data from the Ministry of Education to allege that government school enrolment in Andhra Pradesh is falling while private school enrolment is rising, which he attributed to policy changes by the current TDP-led administration.
What is the political background to this dispute?
The YSRCP and the TDP-led NDA government have been in a sustained political rivalry since the 2024 Andhra Pradesh assembly elections. The literacy rate row is the latest in a series of governance credibility battles between former CM Jagan and CM Chandrababu Naidu's administration.
