Plan to reduce Kolkata's illiteracy rate

With Kolkata yet to be 100 per cent literate, a West Bengal minister today said the state government is in talks with the city mayor and other leaders to devise a strategy to increase the literacy rate.
Speaking at a programme on the International Literacy Day, Mass Education Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury said, "Kolkata is not 100 lietrate as some other districts. We have spoken to Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and other leaders to formulate a strategy to reduce the illiteracy rate in the city".
Literacy rate is lowest in Purulia and nine other districts of the state, he said.
"We are planning to reduce it by 10 per cent in five years. Our target is 10 lakh each year," Chowdhury said.

This year around 11,27,000 male and female (from 15 years and above) sat for the literacy test and around 60 per cent of them were mothers, he said.