Just 35% ST women literate in 16 districts

Vikas Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 22

Jammu and Kashmir is among the 10 states of the country having very low Scheduled Tribe (ST) literacy rate. The overall literacy rate of the STs in the state is 50.6 per cent. As per the 2011 Census, the literacy rate of men is 60.6 per cent while of women is 39.7 per cent.

Of the 22 districts of the state, 16 districts, including nine in Kashmir division and seven in Jammu division, are having literacy rate below 35 per cent among ST women. The overall ST literacy rate in India is 59 per cent, which includes 68.5 per cent of men and 49.4 per cent of women.

As per the 2011 Census, Kishtwar district in Jammu division is having an overall ST literacy rate of 29 per cent. The literacy rate among men is 37.3 per cent and meagre 19.8 per cent for women. Similarly, Kulgam district in Kashmir division has the overall ST literacy rate of 27.9 per cent with 33.6 per cent of men and 21.6 per cent of women.

Pulwama district has the overall ST literacy rate of 31.8 per cent, including 40.2 per cent of men and 22.6 per cent of women. The other districts of the state with very low ST women literacy rates are Ramban (24.8 per cent), Anantnag (25.5 per cent), Shopian (28.1 per cent), Baramulla (28.7 per cent), Reasi (29.5 per cent), Udhampur (31.3 per cent), Doda (32.2 per cent), Ganderbal (32.4 per cent), Kupwara (33.1 per cent) Kathua (33.1 per cent), Budgam (33.5 per cent) and Srinagar (34.6 per cent).

As far as the literacy rate among men in these districts is concerned, it is comparatively better than women. The figures are Ramban (44.8 per cent), Anantnag (41.9 per cent), Shopian (44 per cent), Baramulla (56.5 per cent), Reasi (48.4 per cent), Udhampur (56.5 per cent), Doda (59.5 per cent), Ganderbal (53.4 per cent), Kupwara (53.5 per cent), Kathua (57.1 per cent), Budgam (48.7 per cent) and Srinagar (54.4 per cent).

Pertinently, the other nine states with below 35 per cent ST literacy rate among women are Rajasthan (12 districts), Uttar Pradesh (28 districts), Jharkhand (six districts), Odisha (six districts), Chhattisgarh (two districts), Madhya Pradesh (11 districts), Gujarat (1 district), Andhra Pradesh (four districts) and Karnataka (two districts).