Over one crore people out of the total 4.2 crore population in Odisha are illiterate, state School and Mass Education minister Debi Prasad Mishra today said.
Mishra said this while replying to a written question of BJP MLA Dilip Ray in the Assembly.
"1.01 crore people, 32.72 lakh males and 69.27 lakh females, are illiterate, according to the 2011 census in Odisha," the minister said.
He said while about 28.96 lakh Scheduled Caste people were illiterate, about 53.73 lakh people of the Scheduled Tribes also come under that category.
The minister said the state government was targeting to provide primary education to about 27.77 lakh women across 19 districts under the 'Saakshar Bharat Yojana' by March 2017.
Members cutting across party lines also expressed concerns over the decrease in the number of students in the primary schools of the state.
Drop in attendance of students accompanied by shortage of teachers were plaguing the primary schools in the state, the members said.
Mishra informed the House that 197 schools in 26 districts have been closed due to shortage of students.
These schools had to be closed since less than five students attended them, he said.
Students of schools having a strength of ten or less would be merged with nearby schools, Mishra added.
