PIB Backgrounders (Sep 17–30, 2026) – UPSC Prelims & Mains Current Affairs Notes

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1. Green Highways – India's Journey Towards Sustainable Road Infrastructure

India is trying to build the world's second-largest road network without paying for it in carbon, dust and lost tree cover. The Green Highways approach makes environmental protection part of how highways are planned, built, planted and maintained.

Context

• India's road network (~63 lakh km) is the second largest in the world. National Highways (NHs) form only about 2% of the network but carry ~40% of road traffic.
• The NH network has grown from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,572 km by March 2026 — a 61% increase. The PIB backgrounder's central question is whether this road boom can also grow India's green cover.
• Road transport is a major source of transport-sector CO₂, PM pollution and habitat fragmentation. Highway construction also consumes huge volumes of virgin aggregate, bitumen and soil.
• India's climate commitments (Net Zero by 2070, updated NDC, LiFE mission) make greening infrastructure a policy necessity, not an option.

Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy, 2015

• Issued by: Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), 2015.
• Aim: Develop eco-friendly NH corridors with participation of communities, farmers, NGOs, private sector, government agencies and the Forest Department.
• Funding: 1% of total project cost of NH projects to be set aside for plantation and its maintenance (originally conceived as a "Green Highways Fund").
• Species choice: Plantation along available median and roadside land of the Right of Way, as per the agro-climatic species matrix in IRC:SP:21-2009 guidelines.
• Accountability: Agencies are paid according to survival and growth of plants; contractors must replace dead or missing plants.
• Planning: Plantation is done through an Annual Plantation Action Plan (APAP); a Plantation Cell in MoRTH monitors progress.
• Social objective: Expected to create rural employment (the policy envisaged jobs for about 5 lakh people) and reduce air pollution and dust.

Key achievements

Pillars of green road infrastructure

The PIB backgrounder presents three strands — plantation, climate-resilient design and resource-efficient construction.

1. Plantation and transplantation – avenue, median and land-parcel plantation (clover leaves, interchanges, toll plazas); trees that must be cut are transplanted where possible.
2. Miyawaki plantations – dense planting of native species that creates "forest-like ecosystems" in small, space-constrained areas such as interchange loops.
3. Pollinator corridors – the "Trees for Bees" campaign along the Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway plants flowering species that support bees and biodiversity.
4. Sustainable and recycled materials – fly ash in embankments, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste, waste plastic in bituminous mixes, steel slag, crumb rubber, natural geo-textiles (jute, coir) — a circular-economy approach.
5. Bio-bitumen from rice straw – agricultural residue is converted by pyrolysis into bio-oil and blended with conventional bitumen; a trial stretch has been completed on NH-40 in Meghalaya. This cuts fossil bitumen imports and gives farmers an alternative to stubble burning.
6. Bio-engineering for slope protection – hydroseeding, vegetated crib walls, bamboo plantation, hedge-brush layering in hilly terrain.
7. Space-based monitoring – the National Highways Green Cover Index (2025–26), developed with ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), uses satellite and drone data in place of manual field inspections; the Harit Path app gives every tree a geo-tagged "digital address".
8. Wildlife-friendly design – animal underpasses, overpasses and noise barriers on corridors crossing forests and tiger reserves (e.g., NH-44 through Pench).

Green National Highway Corridors Project (GNHCP)

• World Bank-assisted, loan of US$ 500 million; agreement signed December 2020.
• States: Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh; about 783 km of highways.
• Components: green highway corridor improvement and maintenance, institutional capacity enhancement, and road safety.
• Technologies: cement-treated sub-base, RAP, local and marginal materials (lime, fly ash, waste plastic), bio-engineering for slopes.

Significance

• Growth with green cover: shows that a 61% expansion of the NH network can go hand in hand with large-scale plantation.
• Climate mitigation: trees act as carbon sinks; recycled materials and bio-bitumen cut embodied carbon of construction.
• Farm-highway link: bio-bitumen turns rice straw from a pollution problem into an income source.
• Pollution control: roadside green belts trap dust and particulates and reduce noise.
• Circular economy: absorbs fly ash, plastic and C&D waste that would otherwise go to landfills.
• Livelihoods: plantation and maintenance jobs for SHGs, farmers and local communities.
• Road safety: median plantations reduce headlight glare; better drainage and slope protection reduce accidents and landslides.

Challenges

• Survival rate: planting numbers are high, but survival and maintenance are uneven; the policy now sets survival benchmarks and the awards give highest weight to survival rate.
• Scaling new materials: bio-bitumen and other green materials are still at the trial stage and need standards and long-term performance data.
• Tree felling vs. planting: compensatory plantation often happens far from where trees are cut, so local ecological loss is not offset.
• Native species: use of exotic or ornamental species reduces ecological value.
• Quality control of recycled materials and lack of standards for some new materials.
• Habitat fragmentation and roadkill on highways through forests and wildlife corridors.
• Monitoring gaps in State-maintained roads, which fall outside MoRTH's Green Highways mandate.

Way forward

• Link payments strictly to 3–5 year survival audits using drone and satellite data.
• Mandate native, agro-climatic species and Miyawaki-style dense plantation near cities.
• Adopt life-cycle carbon assessment and green ratings (e.g., GRIHA Infrastructure Rating for Highways) for all new projects.
• Scale wildlife mitigation structures using the Wildlife Institute of India's "Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure on Wildlife" guidelines.
• Extend the policy model to State highways and rural roads (PMGSY already uses plastic and waste materials).

Prelims pointers

• Green Highways Policy: 2015, MoRTH; 1% of project cost for plantation.
• IRC:SP:21-2009 – guidelines on landscaping and tree plantation along roads.
• Harit Path – NHAI mobile app for geo-tagging plants (launched 2020 with Harit Bharat Sankalp).
• National Highways Green Cover Index – satellite-based, with ISRO's NRSC (2025–26).
• Bio-bitumen from rice straw – trial on NH-40, Meghalaya; Trees for Bees – Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway.
• GNHCP – World Bank, US$ 500 million, 4 States, ~783 km.
• RAP = Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement; NHAI was set up under the NHAI Act, 1988.

Mains practice question

"Rapid highway expansion and environmental protection need not be in conflict." Examine this statement in the light of India's Green Highways Policy and the use of recycled materials in road construction. (GS-III, 15 marks, 250 words)

2. Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY)

PM-AJAY works as one umbrella for villages, livelihoods and hostels for Scheduled Castes (SCs), combining area-based and beneficiary-based development in a single centrally sponsored scheme. As of July 2026, its Adarsh Gram component has covered 47,316 villages, declared 16,759 villages as Adarsh Grams and benefited about 47.59 lakh citizens.

Context

• SCs are about 16.6% of India's population (Census 2011), yet lag on poverty, landholding, literacy and access to basic services.
• Earlier, three separate schemes ran in parallel with overlapping goals and thin funding. In 2021–22 they were merged into PM-AJAY for convergence and better monitoring.

Key features

Objectives

1. Reduce poverty among SCs through income-generating schemes, skill development and infrastructure.
2. Raise incomes through comprehensive livelihood projects and asset creation.
3. Improve socio-economic infrastructure and basic services in SC-dominated villages.
4. Increase literacy and enrolment of SCs in schools and higher educational institutions through hostels.

Three components (plus admin)

(a) Adarsh Gram (formerly PMAGY)

• Aim: transform SC-majority villages into model villages where basic services like drinking water, sanitation, education, nutrition, health and connectivity are available to all.
• Eligibility: villages with 50% or more SC population; up to 50% of scheme funds can be used for gap-filling in selected villages.
• Development is tracked across 10 domains (e.g., drinking water and sanitation, education, health and nutrition, social security, roads and housing, electricity and clean fuel, agriculture, financial inclusion, digitisation, livelihood and skill development) through a Village Development Plan (VDP) prepared with Gram Panchayat participation.
• A village is declared "Adarsh Gram" after gaps are filled and indicators are met.

(b) Grants-in-Aid for district/State-level projects (formerly SCA to SCSP)

• Comprehensive livelihood projects, skill development and related infrastructure.
• Financial assistance towards loans taken by SC beneficiaries (BPL) for asset creation.
• Infrastructure in SC-dominated villages; hostels/residential schools.
• Funds allocated to States on SC population and performance of the State Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP).
• 2023–24 and 2024–25: Rs 457.82 crore released for 8,146 projects, including 987 skill-development projects.

(c) Hostels (formerly BJRCY)

• Hostels in NIRF-ranked higher educational institutions and in Centre/State-funded schools recommended by the Ministry of Education.
• Up to 2% of funds; 891 hostels sanctioned so far, covering 69,212 beneficiaries.

(d) Monitoring & evaluation – up to 5% of funds for MIS, technical support, evaluation and social audits.

Achievements at a glance

Significance

• Constitutional mandate: advances Article 46 (DPSP – promote educational and economic interests of SCs/STs) and the spirit of Articles 15(4), 17 and 38.
• Convergence model: one scheme, one portal, one fund flow replaces three fragmented schemes.
• Area + individual approach: combines village infrastructure (area) with livelihood loans and skills (individual).
• Education ladder: hostels in top institutions reduce dropouts and widen access to higher education.
• Cooperative federalism: States plan; Centre funds; Gram Panchayats prepare VDPs.

Challenges

• Gap-filling depends on convergence with other ministries' schemes, which is often weak at the district level.
• Selection criterion (50% SC population) misses SCs living in mixed villages and urban poor SCs.
• Delays in Annual Action Plans and fund utilisation by States; only part of submitted projects get sanctioned.
• Outcome vs output: "Adarsh Gram" declaration counts works, not sustained outcomes like income or learning levels.
• Social barriers – caste discrimination, landlessness and lack of collateral limit the impact of credit-linked support.

Way forward

• Third-party outcome audits of declared Adarsh Grams after 2–3 years.
• Tighter convergence with SCSP allocations of all ministries and with schemes like PM-VIKAS, Stand-Up India, PM-DAKSH.
• Use the AJAY app and geo-tagging for real-time tracking of works and beneficiaries.
• Focus on SC women entrepreneurs and market linkages, not just loans.

Prelims pointers

• PM-AJAY: 2021–22, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, 100% central funding.
• Merger of PMAGY + SCA to SCSP + BJRCY.
• Three components: Adarsh Gram, Grants-in-Aid, Hostels.
• Adarsh Gram eligibility: ≥50% SC population.
• Not to confuse with PM Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY) – for tribal villages, Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Mains practice question

Discuss how PM-AJAY seeks to combine area-based and beneficiary-based approaches for the development of Scheduled Castes. What are its limitations? (GS-II, 15 marks, 250 words)

3. From Waste to Purpose: Indian Cities Are Rewriting the Plastic Story

The PIB feature (26 Sep 2026) shows Indian cities moving from "use-and-dispose" to a circular plastic economy through five actions: Reduce, Reuse, Return, Recover and Recreate — driven as much by citizens, SHGs and local bodies as by regulation.

Context: the size of the problem

• India generates roughly 4 million tonnes of plastic waste a year; in Bengaluru alone, each resident uses about 16 kg of plastic a month.
• Plastic makes up about 46% of dry waste in urban India.
• Problems: clogged drains and urban flooding, microplastics in water and soil, open burning (dioxins, furans), harm to cattle and marine life, and low recycling of multilayered plastics.

The five-R model with city case studies

Maharashtra pairs these alternatives with enforcement and awareness — market inspections, penalties, street plays and public campaigns. Indapur seized 25 kg of banned bags and imposed Rs 90,000 in fines; an SHG in Wardha distributed 17,000 paper bags.

The PIB's key message: lasting change comes from community participation and practical alternatives, not enforcement alone. As SBM approaches its twelfth anniversary, the road ahead rests on source segregation, door-to-door collection, scientific processing and material recovery.

Policy and legal framework

• Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 – parent law for waste rules.
• Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016, amended 2021, 2022, 2024:
  • Ban on identified single-use plastic items from 1 July 2022 (earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic flags, candy and ice-cream sticks, thermocol decoration, cutlery, straws, wrapping films, etc.).
  • Carry-bag thickness raised to 75 microns (Sep 2021) and 120 microns (Dec 2022).
  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Guidelines, 2022 – producers, importers and brand owners must collect and recycle plastic packaging; targets for recycling and use of recycled content; tradeable EPR certificates on a central EPR portal.
• Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 – source segregation, user fees, role of ULBs.
• Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0 (launched 1 Oct 2021, outlay ~Rs 1.41 lakh crore for 2021–26) – vision of Garbage-Free Cities; Material Recovery Facilities, legacy dumpsite remediation, star rating of cities.
• Campaigns: Swachh Survekshan rankings, RRR (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) Centres, Swachhata Hi Seva, Mission LiFE, the National Plastic Waste Reporting Portal (2025).
• Global: India is part of negotiations for a UN Global Plastics Treaty (UNEA Resolution 5/14, 2022); India favours a focus on waste management and national circumstances over production caps.

Significance

• Circular economy: waste becomes raw material for roads, chipboard, pipes and furniture.
• Green livelihoods: SHG women, waste-pickers and Safai Saathis gain income and dignity.
• Behaviour change: shows that nudges (festivals, ATMs, incentives) work better than fines alone.
• Climate and health: less open burning, fewer microplastics, reduced urban flooding.
• Decentralised solutions suit diverse Indian cities better than large waste-to-energy plants.

Challenges

• Weak enforcement of the SUP ban; banned items still widely available in informal markets.
• Poor source segregation at household level reduces recyclability.
• Multilayered plastics and sachets remain hard to recycle; EPR compliance and fake certificates are concerns.
• Informal sector of waste-pickers does most of the recycling but lacks social security and recognition.
• Cheap virgin plastic makes recycled plastic uncompetitive; alternatives (cloth, paper, compostable plastic) cost more.
• Data gaps – many ULBs under-report plastic waste generation.

Way forward

• Scale proven local models (Trichy, Vita, Patiala) through SBM-U 2.0 funding and city-to-city learning.
• Strengthen EPR audits, design-for-recycling standards and minimum recycled content.
• Formalise waste-pickers – IDs, PPE, health insurance (e.g., through NAMASTE scheme).
• Deposit-refund systems for bottles and pouches, building on the A&N model.
• Push research on biodegradable and compostable alternatives with clear labelling.

Prelims pointers

• SUP ban on identified items: 1 July 2022; carry bags ≥ 120 microns since 31 Dec 2022.
• EPR for plastic packaging – Guidelines 2022, CPCB portal.
• Thaila ATMs – Vita (Maharashtra); Thunippai Thiruvizhai – Trichy (TN).
• Project Prithvi – UNDP-supported plastic recovery in Bengaluru.
• MLP = Multilayered plastic; converted to chipboard at Patiala.
• SBM launched 2 Oct 2014; SBM-U 2.0 launched 1 Oct 2021.

Mains practice question

"India's plastic problem cannot be solved by bans alone." Discuss with examples of urban local initiatives and the role of Extended Producer Responsibility. (GS-III, 15 marks, 250 words)

4. 12 Years of Make in India

Make in India completed 12 years on 25 September 2026. Its focus has shifted from assembling finished goods to building components, machinery, strategic materials and advanced technologies at home.

Background

• Launched: 25 September 2014; nodal department DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Logo: a lion made of gears.
• Guiding principle: "Minimum Government, Maximum Governance".
• Original goals: manufacturing growth of 12–14% a year, 100 million additional manufacturing jobs and raising manufacturing's share of GDP to 25% (originally by 2022, later extended to 2025).
• Four pillars: New Processes (ease of doing business), New Infrastructure (industrial corridors, smart cities), New Sectors (FDI opening in defence, railways, insurance), New Mindset (government as facilitator, not regulator).
• Make in India 2.0: 27 sectors – 15 manufacturing (coordinated by DPIIT) and 12 services (coordinated by the Department of Commerce).

Twelve years in numbers

• Manufacturing GVA grew at a CAGR of 10.88% between 2022–23 and 2025–26 (revised series); manufacturing IIP rose 7% in April–July 2026.
• Pharma: India is the 3rd-largest producer by volume (11th by value); turnover Rs 4.72 lakh crore in 2024–25.
• Railways: 1,674 locomotives and 6,677 LHB coaches produced in 2025–26.
• Strategic tech: VIKRAM3201 and KALPANA3201 microprocessors (ISRO + SCL Mohali); Nd-Fe-B rare-earth magnet pilot plant at ARCI, Hyderabad (March 2026).

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes

• Launched 2020; incentives on incremental sales of goods made in India, across 14 sectors (mobile/electronics, IT hardware, pharma, APIs, medical devices, automobiles & components, ACC batteries, solar PV modules, specialty steel, textiles, food processing, white goods, telecom, drones).
• Up to June 2026: Rs 2.40 lakh crore investment, Rs 22.66 lakh crore production/sales, Rs 15.20 lakh crore exports, 14 lakh+ jobs.
• About 83% of PLI investment is concentrated in five sectors – solar modules, pharma, autos, specialty steel and large-scale electronics.

Enabling reforms and platforms

• FDI: 100% via automatic route in most sectors.
• National Single Window System (NSWS): see topic 5.
• India Industrial Land Bank: GIS platform; 4,220 industrial parks mapped (~6.98 lakh ha).
• PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (Oct 2021): Network Planning Group has evaluated 396 projects worth ~Rs 18.66 lakh crore.
• Others: Startup India (2016), National Logistics Policy (2022), labour codes, decriminalisation through the Jan Vishwas Act, corporate tax cut (2019), Phased Manufacturing Programme in electronics.

New manufacturing push (2025–26)

Critical assessment

Successes

• India became a major exporter of mobile phones, a large solar module maker and a growing defence exporter.
• Shift toward strategic self-reliance (semiconductors, rare-earth magnets, specialty steel) after COVID-19 and supply chain shocks.
• Better ease of doing business through single window, land bank and logistics reforms.

Shortfalls

• Manufacturing's share of GDP has stayed around 15–17%, well short of the 25% target.
• The goal of 100 million jobs was not met; growth is concentrated in capital-intensive sectors that create few jobs.
• Low domestic value addition in electronics – much of the output is assembly of imported components (heavy import dependence on China).
• Gains concentrated in a few sectors and States; MSMEs face credit, technology and compliance barriers.
• R&D spending is only ~0.65% of GDP, limiting innovation-led manufacturing.

Way forward

• Move from assembly to deep value chains – components, capital goods, chips, materials.
• Prioritise labour-intensive sectors (textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, toys, food processing) for jobs.
• Raise R&D, skill the workforce (PM Vishwakarma, Skill India), and secure critical minerals (National Critical Mineral Mission).
• Use FTAs (UK, EFTA, Australia, UAE) to integrate into global value chains; reduce logistics costs.
• Link incentives to value addition and employment, not just output.

Prelims pointers

• Launch: 25 Sep 2014; DPIIT; 27 sectors (15 + 12) under 2.0.
• PLI: 14 sectors; incentive on incremental sales.
• VIKRAM3201 – first fully indigenous microprocessor qualified for launch vehicles, made at SCL, Mohali.
• BHAVYA – 100 industrial parks; Semicon 2.0 – Rs 1.275 lakh crore.
• India: 2nd-largest mobile phone maker; 3rd-largest pharma producer by volume; 2nd-largest crude steel producer.

Mains practice question

"Twelve years on, Make in India has delivered more in capital-intensive sectors than in jobs." Critically evaluate, and suggest measures to make Indian manufacturing both competitive and employment-intensive. (GS-III, 15 marks, 250 words)

5. National Single Window System (NSWS)

NSWS completed five years on 22 September 2026. It now gives one digital entry point to 327+ Central and 3,452 State approvals across 34 States/UTs, with 5.69 lakh+ business entities onboarded as of 21 Sep 2026.

What is NSWS?

• A digital platform that helps investors identify, apply for and track all approvals needed to set up and run a business in India – Central and State – through one interface.
• Launched: 22 September 2021 (soft launch) by the Commerce & Industry Minister.
• Implemented by: DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, with Invest India as the project management unit.
• Origin: Union Budget 2020–21 announced an Investment Clearance Cell for end-to-end facilitation; NSWS is its digital form.
• Important: NSWS does not grant approvals itself – final decisions stay with the concerned Ministry or State department. It integrates, it does not replace, State single-window systems.

Key features

Five-year progress

Other milestones: Industrial Entrepreneur Memorandum (IEM) moved fully to NSWS in October 2025 and Industrial Licence (IL) in March 2026; PESO has integrated all 74 licensing modules. NSWS is also the common gateway for approvals under the National Green Hydrogen Mission and the Vehicle Scrapping Policy. In February 2022 only 19 Ministries and 13 States were linked – showing how fast integration has grown.

Significance

• Ease of Doing Business: cuts the need to visit multiple offices; reduces time, cost and discretion.
• Transparency: online tracking reduces rent-seeking and delays.
• Cooperative and competitive federalism: States integrate their systems voluntarily; DPIIT's Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) ranks States on reforms.
• Investor confidence: supports Make in India, PLI and FDI inflows (US$ 843 bn cumulative since 2014–15).
• Digital governance: a move from department-wise digitisation to whole-of-government integration ("Minimum Government, Maximum Governance").

Challenges

• Single front door, many back offices: approval timelines still depend on each department; the window simplifies the interface, not the regulation.
• Uneven State integration: some States integrate hundreds of approvals, others very few; some approvals still need offline steps.
• Partial coverage of local-body permissions (building plans, trade licences, fire NOCs) handled by municipalities.
• KYA is advisory, so investors still need legal advice; risk of missing approvals.
• Interoperability issues between legacy State portals and NSWS; data privacy and cybersecurity concerns.

Way forward

• Publish department-wise service-level timelines and enforce deemed approval where deadlines are missed.
• Integrate urban local body and land-related approvals; link with India Industrial Land Bank and PM GatiShakti.
• Use NSWS data to cut or merge unnecessary approvals (regulatory guillotine), in line with Jan Vishwas decriminalisation.
• Move to a single unified business identifier and API-based integration with all State portals.
• Regular user feedback and grievance redress with time limits.

Prelims pointers

• Launched 22 Sep 2021; DPIIT + Invest India.
• PAN = Single Business ID.
• KYA = Know Your Approvals (advisory, not binding).
• NSWS does not itself grant approvals.
• Registration is free; statutory fees of departments apply.
• Don't confuse with ICEGATE / SWIFT (Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade) of CBIC for customs clearance of imports and exports.

Mains practice question

"A single-window system can simplify the interface with the regulator without simplifying the regulation itself." Examine in the context of the National Single Window System and suggest measures to reduce the compliance burden on businesses. (GS-III, 15 marks, 250 words)

6. Literacy for All – India's Journey Towards Viksit Bharat

India's literacy rate has risen from 74% (Census 2011) to 80.9% (PLFS 2023–24), and the ULLAS programme is now pushing States and UTs past the 95% "fully literate" benchmark — with literacy redefined to include digital, financial and legal skills.

Context

• Census definition: a person aged 7+ who can read and write with understanding in any language is literate.
• Census 2011: 74.04% overall (male ~82%, female ~65%); Kerala highest, Bihar lowest. A large gender, rural-urban and social-group gap persists.
• About 25 crore people aged 15+ were still non-literate as per Census 2011 estimates – the target pool for adult literacy.
• International Literacy Day: 8 September (UNESCO, declared 1966, first observed 1967); 2026 marks its 60th observance.

ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme)

Five components of ULLAS

1. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
2. Critical Life Skills (financial, digital, legal, health, disaster, family welfare literacy)
3. Basic Education (equivalency to Classes 3, 5, 8)
4. Vocational Skills
5. Continuing Education (arts, culture, sports, recreation)

Progress

• 3 crore+ learners enrolled and 42 lakh volunteers engaged; about 1.83 crore learners appeared in FLNAT with a ~90% pass rate (as of Sep 2025).
• "Fully literate" rule: a State/UT can declare itself fully literate if non-literates found in the ULLAS survey are less than 5% of the population (i.e., literacy above 95%).

Evolution of adult literacy programmes in India

1. National Adult Education Programme – 1978
2. National Literacy Mission (NLM) – 1988 (Total Literacy Campaigns; Kerala's Ernakulam first fully literate district, 1990)
3. Saakshar Bharat – 2009, focused on women
4. Padhna Likhna Abhiyan – 2020–21
5. ULLAS / New India Literacy Programme – 2022–27

Constitutional and policy framework

• Article 21A (86th Amendment, 2002) – free and compulsory education for children 6–14; RTE Act, 2009.
• Article 45 (DPSP) – early childhood care and education up to age 6; Article 46 – education of weaker sections.
• NEP 2020 – 100% youth and adult literacy as a goal; renames adult education as "Education for All"; NIPUN Bharat for foundational literacy in schools.
• SDG 4.6 – ensure all youth and a substantial share of adults achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030.

Why literacy matters for Viksit Bharat @2047

• Human capital: literacy raises productivity, skill uptake and employability.
• Women's empowerment: female literacy is linked to lower fertility, better child health and higher labour participation.
• Digital public infrastructure: UPI, DigiLocker and e-governance need digitally literate citizens.
• Democracy: informed voting and awareness of rights and welfare schemes.
• Financial inclusion: using Jan Dhan accounts, avoiding fraud and debt traps.

Challenges

• Definition gap: "fully literate" at 95% via survey is not the same as Census literacy; risk of overstating progress.
• Relapse into illiteracy without post-literacy and continuing education.
• Volunteer model – uneven quality, motivation and training.
• Persistent gaps – women, SC/ST, Muslims, migrants, elderly; large non-literate populations in Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, MP, Jharkhand.
• No Census since 2011 – the Census 2027 will give the first reliable update.
• Low funding relative to the scale of the task.

Way forward

• Link ULLAS with SHGs, MGNREGA worksites, Anganwadis and NCC/NSS volunteers; academic credits for student volunteers.
• Focus on functional and digital literacy, not just signatures.
• Independent third-party verification of "fully literate" claims.
• Use community libraries and local-language digital content to prevent relapse.
• Targeted drives in low-literacy districts and among women.

Prelims pointers

• ULLAS = Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society; 2022–27; age 15+.
• "Fully literate" = literacy above 95%.
• Ladakh – first fully literate UT (June 2024); Mizoram – first fully literate State under ULLAS.
• FLNAT is conducted by NIOS.
• International Literacy Day: 8 September; ILD 2025 theme: Promoting literacy in the digital era.
• PLFS 2023–24 literacy (7+): 80.9%.

Mains practice question

"Literacy in the 21st century must mean more than the ability to read and write." Discuss in the context of ULLAS and the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047. (GS-II, 15 marks, 250 words)