At a glance
ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society), also called the Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Programme, is the Ministry of Education's adult-education scheme. It teaches reading, writing and numeracy to adults who missed school, mostly through volunteers and an app, and certifies them through a national test. A State or UT that reaches 95% literacy is declared "fully literate".
Key facts
- Ministry: Ministry of Education (Department of School Education and Literacy)
- Type: centrally sponsored scheme, aligned with NEP 2020
- Period: 2022-23 to 2026-27
- Target group: non-literates aged 15 and above
- Target: 5 crore learners (1 crore a year)
- Outlay: ₹1,037.90 crore (Centre ₹700 crore, States ₹337.90 crore)
- Five components: foundational literacy and numeracy, critical life skills, basic education, vocational skills, continuing education
- Test: Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT), with NIOS certification
- Full-literacy benchmark: 95% literacy
- First administrative unit declared fully literate: Ladakh (24 June 2024)
- First State: Mizoram (20 May 2025)
How it works
Volunteer model. Students, teachers and community members register on the ULLAS app as volunteer teachers and enrol learners. Teaching material is available online and offline in many languages.
Assessment. Learners take the FLNAT, which tests reading, writing and numeracy. Those who pass are certified as literate. A State or UT that reaches about 95% literacy among adults is then declared fully literate.
States and UTs declared fully literate (in order).
| Order | State / UT | When |
|---|---|---|
| UT | Ladakh | 24 June 2024 (first administrative unit) |
| 1 | Mizoram | 20 May 2025 (first State) |
| 2–4 | Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh | 2025 |
| 5 | Sikkim | May 2026 |
| 6 | Uttarakhand | July 2026 |
| UT | Lakshadweep | 11 October 2026 |
Recent developments
- 11 Oct 2026: Administrator Praful Patel declared Lakshadweep fully literate at Kavaratti; all 1,113 non-literate adults found in the initial survey passed the FLNAT.
- 8 Jul 2026: Uttarakhand became the sixth State declared fully literate (adult literacy 98.70%).
- May 2026: Sikkim declared the fifth fully literate State.
Exam traps
- Ladakh (2024) was the first administrative unit and first UT to reach full functional literacy; Mizoram (2025) was the first State. Reports calling Lakshadweep the "first" fully literate UT are wrong.
- "Fully literate" means 95% literacy, not literally 100%.
- ULLAS covers people aged 15 and above; Samagra Shiksha covers school education.
- It replaced the Padhna Likhna Abhiyan (2020–22) and Saakshar Bharat (2009–18), and runs only until 2026-27.
- The scheme is under the Education Ministry, not Rural Development or Skill Development.
Quick check
- Q: Which was the first State declared fully literate under ULLAS? A: Mizoram (May 2025).
- Q: What literacy rate counts as "fully literate" under ULLAS? A: 95%.
- Q: What is the target age group of ULLAS? A: 15 years and above.
Further reading
Sources
- https://nilp.education.gov.in/nilp/about-us
- https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/PIB2130080.pdf
- https://en.vikaspedia.in/viewcontent/education/policies-and-schemes/nav-bharat-saksharta-karyakram-(ullas)?lgn=en
- https://www.newsonair.gov.in/mizoram-becomes-indias-1st-fully-literate-state
- https://newsonair.gov.in/uttarakhand-becomes-countrys-sixth-fully-literate-state/
- https://www.drishtiias.com/state-pcs-current-affairs/sikkim-becomes-indias-fifth-fully-literate-state/print_manually
- https://www.gktoday.in/lakshadweep-attains-100-literacy-status/
In the news
Every time this topic has appeared in our current affairs, newest first:
- Week of 8–14 October 2026Lakshadweep declared fully literate under ULLAS