Literacy rate in Himachal increases to 84% from 4.8% in 1948: CM Jai Ram Thakur

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur Thursday said that the literacy rate in the state went up to 83 percent from just 4.8 percent in 1948. Addressing the gathering at state level function on the 116th birth anniversary of first chief minister Yashwant Singh Parmar, Thakur said that Parmar was not only a founder of Himachal Pradesh, but he also laid a sound foundation for further development of the state.

Being a hilly state, roads are lifelines of development, he said adding that there was 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 Parmar that despite all odds, Himachal Pradesh got a separate identity, he added.

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Chief minister honoured 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 Rajender Attri. A documentary on the life of 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.