About

• The New India Literacy Program (NILP), popularly known as ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at eradicating illiteracy among those above 15 years of age.
• Launched in 2022, the scheme aims not only to equip learners with reading, writing, and numeracy skills but also to enrich them with an understanding of critical life skills while encouraging lifelong learning. 
• The scheme aims to cover a target of 5 crore non-literates in the age group of 15 years and above. 
• The Scheme has five components: (i) Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, (ii) Critical Life Skills, (iii) Vocational Skills Development, (iv) Basic Education and (v) Continuing Education.
• NILP is mainly based on volunteerism for teaching and learning. 

Why in News?

• In a letter to all States, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has defined ‘literacy,’ and what it means to achieve ‘full literacy,’ in the light of the renewed push for adult literacy under the New India Literacy Programme.
• In the letter, the ministry has stated that literacy may be understood as the ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension, i.e. to identify, understand, interpret and create along with critical life skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy etc, and full literacy (to be considered equivalent to 100% literacy) will be achieving 95% literacy in a State/UT that may be considered as equivalent to fully literate.
• A non-literate person may be considered as literate under the NILP, as per the aforementioned definition when she/he has been declared literate after taking the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT). 

Significant challenge 

• According to the Census 2011, India faces a significant literacy challenge, with 25.76 crore non-literate individuals in the 15 years and above age group, comprising 9.08 crore males and 16.68 crore females. 
• Despite the progress made under the Saakshar Bharat programme, which certified 7.64 crore individuals as literate between 2009-10 and 2017-18, an estimated 18.12 crore adults in India remain non-literate.
• Non-literate individuals face disadvantages in various aspects of life such as financial transactions, job applications, comprehension of media and technology, understanding of rights and participation in higher productivity sectors. 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/education-ministry-defines-literacy-full-literacy/article68569537.ece#:~:text=In%20the%20letter%2C%20School%20Education,and%20full%20literacy%20(to%20be