Bhenoy “Ben” Dembla worked as a systems engineer in India and the United States. A graduate of the University of Rochester, Ben Dembla spends much of his time involved in philanthropic endeavors. In the past two decades, B. Dembla has set up two foundations for medical research and higher education, along with providing charitable support for literacy projects in India.
According to records from 2021, the literacy rate in India is 74.04 percent. Rates were highest in the states of Kerala (which had a 94 percent literacy rate) and Lakshadweep (with a 91.85 percent literacy rate). Meanwhile, the lowest was the state of Bihar, which recorded a 61.80 percent rate.
The national literacy rate has steadily risen since India gained its independence. When the country first gained its independence, it had a 12 percent literacy rate. By 2001, this had risen to 61.01 percent. Despite this increase in literacy, India still has the largest population of illiterate adults in the world. In fact, over one-third of all individuals who are illiterate live in India.
Efforts to increase literacy rates in the country have involved several state and central government programs. These programs reach out to students and improve their access to quality education. They particularly focus on India’s rural areas, where there is a much larger gap in literacy.
Some of these programs stopped operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which many believe contributed to India’s drop in literacy from 74.37 percent in 2018 to the current rate of 74.04 percent.
