Himachal Pradesh literacy rate increases to 84% for the first time: Chief Minister

On Thursday, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, said that the literacy rate in the state went up to 84 percent from just 4.8 percent in 1948. Addressing the gathering at state level function on 116th birth anniversary of the first Chief Minister Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, Mr Thakur said that Dr Parmar laid a sound foundation for the further development of the state apart from just having found the state.

Being a hilly state, roads are lifelines of development, he said adding that there were only 228 km of roads in the state at the time of its formation in 1948 and today the state has over 39,354 km roads. When the nation is celebrating 75 years of Independence, Himachal Pradesh is also celebrating 75 years of its formation, he added.

It was the commitment and dedication of Dr Parmar that despite all odds, Himachal Pradesh got a separate identity, he added. Chief Minister honoured Dr Parmar's son Kush Parmar, a former MLA, on the occasion. Chief Minister also released a book 'Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Mass Leader –An Apostle of Honesty and Integrity' written by Dr Rajender Attri.

A documentary on the life of Dr Parmar produced by the Information and Public Relations Department was also screened on the occasion. Speaker State Vidhan Sabha Vipin Singh Parmar, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri and Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Bhardwaj also spoke on the occasion.