Saddam — A DV tribute

Bangalore: Saddam Hussein had a glorious death on Dec.30, 2006. None in the world can expect a better and a more famous end than this. We have to thank the zionist controllers of America for making him world famous, thus sending Saddam to history and to martyrdom. He died fighting against the zionists and their loyal servants in the White House and the American Administration. He died proclaiming a great truth that Palestine belongs to Arabs. The zionist hate-mongers by hanging him on a holy Muslim festival further enraged the Muslim masses who will now surely jack up their jihad against the zionists, liberate Palestine and the Middle East. So, instead of mourning we celebrate the event because in his death Saddam will be more dangerous to the enemy than alive. The “clash of civlisations” will now onwards be more furious, and the fall of America more sharp. Everything is going as we predicted in DV.

Turkey goodbye to EU

Bangalore: DV has finally proved right on Turkey. For years we have been warning (listed below) and we have come true.

The “Christian Club” called European Union will not open its doors to Muslim Turkey even after waiting for over 44 years. Finally, Turks are becoming angry. But the White Western racists among Christians are not bothered.

Turkey must stop buttering the racists and turn to its Muslim neighbours and play a bigger part in saving Middle East from zionist vultures.

What Justice Balakrishnan can do as first Dalit CJ of Supreme Court ?

Bangalore: Finally, “independent” India is getting its first Dalit Chief Justice in the Supreme Court. We are fully aware that Justice K.G. Balakrishnan from Kerala cannot bring about any big changes in the Supreme Court packed with manuwadi judges, all appointed during the Brahmana Jati Party’s infamous rule.

CHANAKYA MISCHIEF

Justice Balakrishnan, then Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, was proposed to the Supreme Court but the then CJ of the Supreme Court, Justice Anand, a hard-core manuwadi, scuttled the proposal knowing full well the danger to his jatwalas.

He even had the audacity to cast aspersions on K.R. Narayanan, India’s most noble, learned and the best President of India. Instead of punishing Justice Anand, the BJP Govt. made this anti-human fellow to head the Human Rights Commission.

Had Balakrishnan been appointed immediately, he would have remained as the CJ of SC for a very long time causing terrible heart-burning among the Hindu fellow judges.

That is why his appointment was considerably delayed. Yet the manuwadis will have to now put up with Justice Balakrishnan as CJ for about 3 1/2 years — too long a period.

This is worrying the Hindus and we will not be surprised if the Chanakyas hatch their usual conspiracy to sabotage any progress towards social justice.

India’s Brahminical upper castes, defeated in their current war against the Bahujans, have been taking the help of the higher judiciary to fight us. (DV Edit Nov.16, 2006:”Court comes to rescue of drowning upper castes: Desperate bid to restore monstrous Manuwadi rule”). It is here Justice Balakrishnan will have to play a significant role in booking such culprits and corrupt elements among the higher judiciary keeping a vigilant watch on all the High Courts.

PROTECTOR OF MANUWADIS

So far the SC had only three Dalit judges in its history, Justice Varadarajan of Tamil Nadu, Justice Ramaswamy of AP and now Justice Balakrishnan. Justice Ramaswamy, who now lives in Hyderabad after retiring as member of the Human Rights Commission in Delhi, was a member of the DV family and in a historical judgment quoted a major portion from our book, Merit, My Foot (DSA-2006). But the pity is the manuwadi judges who succeeded him reversed his every judgment.

So much so Supreme Court today is the sole protector of the manuwadis.

What can one Dalit Chief Justice do to transform the manuwadi den of theives into a temple of justice based on the constitution made by Babasaheb Ambedkar? Very little. The Chief Justice is just the first among the equals. Yet he can do a lot to change the very direction of the SC from its existing pro-oppressor policy to the pro-oppressed. Every pro-poor and pro-oppressed law made by the legislature is set aside by the higher judiciary. This must be stopped.

A Dalit as head of the SC is a great inspiration to the country’s Dalits. They know they cannot dream of going to SC which is the preserve of the upper castes who are also the rich. Yet he will be a symbol, a source of inspiration. He must keep it up.

In this Justice Balakrishnan will have the full backing of the legislature and all other elected representatives of the people. And more so the Dalit Voice which has been steadfastly fighting the “judicial terrorism”.

DV wants to make Lalu PM : Is he willing ?

Bangalore: Finally, a Dalit judge, Munilal Paswan, had to come to pronounce truth and deliver justice to Lalu Prasad Yadav who for no reason is being hunted and hounded by the upper caste hate-mongers and wanted to ruin his political career just because the Backward Caste Railway Minister wanted to liberate BCs and Muslims, his fellow victims of Bihar, from the jaws of the ruling Brahminical forces.

Years back when Lalu invited us to Patna when he was thrown into jail for the first time as the Chief Minister, we had gone through the records and found the charges against him were fabricated. We had then met Lalu thrice in the jail and had detailed discussions. This was in the year 1997.

Lalu is the country’s most hated political leader because they know his potential and the threat he posed to the Brahminical Social Order. He is hated only because he sincerely tried to liberate the oppressed. That was his only fault. That is why the Bahujans of Bihar loved Lalu and voted for him and he became the Chief Minister after launching a major caste war against the exploiters (Brahmins, Bumihars, Thakurs, Kayasths) who ruled Bihar like their private estate.

Cooked up charges: His coming to power ended decades of Brahminical misrule. And the hate-mongers then decided to get him booked in a cooked up corruption case in which he had played hardly any role.

Lalu thus became India’s first sitting Chief Minister to be arrested and thrown into jail. But the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, a Brahmin, involved in a series of crores of rupees corruption, hundreds of times more serious than that of Lalu, is even today praised and paraded. The media, judiciary and the entire upper caste lobby wants her back as Chief Minister despite her monstrous corruption.

Laughing stock: Such double-standards become so clear if we compare Lalu’s case with the hated Jayalalita. This is India and such a miscarriage of justice will continue as long as we allow this mere 15% Brahminical micro-minority rulers to continue. Its victims are over 85% of the country’s population comprising SC/ST/BCs and Muslim/Christian and Sikhs. To them Lalu is their saviour but to the tiny upper castes he is a laughing stock, a villain.

Such a merciless upper caste conspiracy to finish Lalu once for all by blackening his face with corruption charges was hatched fearing that the up and coming Lalu, young in age and firm in conviction, would one day become the Prime Minister of India. They wanted to nip this in the bud. And hence all such mountains and mountains of corruption charges were cooked up against him.

Politician refusing to be statesman: Judge Muni Lal Paswan on Dec.18, 2006 pronounced him innocent and acquitted him of all charges. That doesn’t mean his troubles are over. Because the upper castes being the country’s rulers have all levers of power in their hands.

The problem with Lalu is he is essentially a politician but refusing to become a statesman despite our two attempts to persuade him and lift him.

We again met him (Jan.23, 2006) and at a public meeting we even publicly criticised him for not keeping up his promise given to us when he was in jail. He admitted his mistakes and again promised to meet us for a serious discussion. That meeting never took place. Lalu like all other Indian politicians want to be in power. But power for what?

Nanaji Deshmukh example: Look at a Maharashtrian Brahmin terrorist leader, Nanaji Deshmukh. He was made a Union Minister. But he soon resigned and said this “power” brought no thrill to him. He went back into the Madhya Pradesh forests where he was busy running a multi-million dollar Hindu nazi enterprise to hinduise (enslaving) the non-Hindu Adivasis.

Look at the difference between the Brahmin Nanaji and the BC leader Lalu. The Brahmin thinks that mere political “power” is no power. To him the real power lies in keeping the SC/ST/BCs as slaves which alone will strengthen Brahminism. He aims at a socio-cultural counter-revolution.

Political power is no power: Brahminical people have been busy launching counter-revolution, one after the other, ever since they set foot on India. Against this, Budha, Phule, Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar etc. launched socio-cultural revolution to liberate the oppressed Bahujans. That is how they are hailed as revolutionaries and permanently remembered in history. We want Lalu to join this galaxy of revolutionaries. We have said all these to Lalu. The enslaved Bahujans have to be liberated from Brahminism which is keeping them enslaved. They can’t be liberated by merely becoming ministers, chief ministers or even prime ministers.

Many SC/ST/BC and Muslim leaders had come to power but could achieve nothing because the entire socio-cultural-economic system, including the god, is today under the Brahminical control. Such a control can be ended only by a thorough-going socio-cultural revolution.

Capturing political power may be a step towards such a revolution but that is not the end. It is only a means. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is today remembered by the millions not because he was a Union Minister and a political leader. He is remembered because he brought about a socio-cultural revolution in the country.

Lalu has the capacity: We wanted Lalu to follow this example. Let him contest elections and come to “power’ but once he comes to power he must use this “power” to bring about a socio-cultural revolution. It is not enough if he confines himself to Bihar. He has to expand his sphere to whole of India. Because the Bahujans of the entire country remain enslaved.

Now that Lalu is acquitted he need not think that all his problems are over. The Brahmins will never, ever forget and forgive anybody posing a threat to Brahminism.

Lalu has all the qualities to shake Bihar, the land of Budha, Mahavir. He is young. He is also angry. He is loved by the Bahujans. We want to make him the PM.

But to reach that level he has to do lot of ground work, lot of planning which is essentially an intellectual work. We had assured him twice that we would take up this responsibility. Twice he disappointed us. Will he make up his mind at least now?

D.V. REFERENCE TO LALU

DV April 16, 2006 p. 22: “In defence of Lalu”.

DV April 1, 2006 p. 9: “Lalu has the last laugh in Bihar”.

DV Feb.16, 2006 p.6: “Lalu agrees to join hands with DV to fight Brahminism” & p. 9: “Lalu backs DV’s caste identity thesis”.

DV Edit Dec.16, 2005: “Lalu loses but Laluism wins: Bihar election proves caste was only right royal route” & p. 5: “Manuwadi media victim”.

DV Dec.1, 2005 p.17: “Bihar caste war threatens Hindus?”

DV Nov.16, 2005 p.24: “Lalu has edge in Bihar”.

DV Edit Oct.16, 2005:”If Lalu looses Bihar, Congress will lose India”.

DV June 16, 2005 p.3: “Warning to Lalu: Lessons of Bihar - Hindu no to caring & sharing will make India ungovernable”.

DV June 1, 2005 p.11: “Lalu following DV formula”.

DV Edit March 2005: “Vaidik crooks misguide Sonia & cause Bihar crisis: Lalu must remember his promise”.

DV Feb.1, 2005 p.11: “Lalu flying high in Bihar”.

DV Oct.16, 2002 p.7: “Lalu’s war against Brahminism”.

DV March 1, 2002 p.16: “Biswas rewarded for persecuting Lalu?”

DV Edit Feb.1, 2002: “Judicial mischief in Lalu Prasad Yadav & Bangalore Papatti corruption cases”.

DV Dec.16, 2001 p.5: “Torture of Lalu is lesson for all those fighting BSO”.

DV July 1, 2000 p.18: Lalu empowers BCs to fight upper caste violence”.

DV June 16, 2000 p.4: “Hate-mongering Aryan tormentors help make Lalu lord of Bihar”.

DV Feb.16, 2000 p.7: “Lalu has upper hand in Bihar”.

DV Dec.1, 1998 p.9: “Lalu’s failure to keep up promise lands him in jail again”.

DV Edit Jan.1, 1998: “Lalu’s case once again proves BSO monstrocity: Coming poll must help cage this blood-thirsty beast”.

DV Edit Oct.16, 1997: “Lalu’s Bihar gets ready for bloody varna yudh against Brahminical Social Order”.

DV Aug.16, 1997 p.9: “Hindu hate-mongers convert Lalu into a national hero”.

DV Aug.1, 1997 p.4: “DV salutes Lalu Prasad Yadav”,

p.19: “No proper evidence against Lalu” It is all upper caste conspiracy”.

Vedic Maths bullshit bared

Arun Shourie, a Punjabi Brahmin and a top Hindu nazi leader, in his only sensible book, Hinduism Essence & Consequence, (1979, Vikas, pp.414), called the Brahminical “sacred scriptures” as “just nonsense” in his very introduction to the book.

But a crank like Murali Manohar Joshi, famous for all sorts of false claims like his jatwalas, said a cure for AIDS is available in the Vedas.

In this scholarly book, Vedic Mathematics, Sister (Dr.) W.B. Kandasamy, professor at the IIT, Madras, and Dr. Florentin Smarandache, of the New Mexico University in USA, tear the Vedas to pieces, question its divine origin and conclude the whole thing is bullshit.

They also warn that the imposition of “Vedic maths” on school children involves religious terrorism and Brahminical caste supremacy.

The country is today suffering only because of the Brahminical imperialism forcing the supremacy of the alien Aryans on the original inhabitants.

“Vedic maths” is yet another desperate step taken by the sinking Brahminical people to stay alive by misleading those people who are willing to be misled.

For challenging the bosses of the Brahmin-dominated IIT, Madras, Sister Vasantha was recently given the Tamil Nadu Govt’s prestigious Bravery Award.

(DV Feb.1, 2006 p.24: “Dalits & BCs suffer under Brahminical dictatorship in IIT Madras”).

2007 pp.220 35 $

Photocopy available with DV. Rs. 175.

Uppr caste rulers push India to social disruption & economic crisis

Bangalore: A group of top economists in their Alternative Economic Survey 2005-06 have not only burst the “India shining” balloon of the Brahminical rulers floating in the 9% GDP clouds but warned that the Indian planners are driving the country towards social disruption and economic crisis of alarming proportions.The Alternative Survey group headed by Prof. Kamal Nayan Kabra, a former Professor of Economics, IIPA, New Delhi, includes seven other economic experts. The report in 306 pages and titled “Disempowering Masses” probes every aspect of the Indian economy and even social sectors in 23 chapters and 17 box items on farmers suicide, education, scavengers and sweepers, health etc. The authors say the UPA-led govt. is no different from the BJP-led NDA Govt. As the report burst the Brahminical bubble, the country’s Manuwadi “national” toilet papers naturally blacked out the whole thing even as the country’s planners frowned upon it. This is natural because the ruling upper castes, with their enormous illegal income, are fully preoccupied in their favourite pastime of cheating, eating, drinking, sex, religion, entertainment — of course violence. Naturally they hate anything that spoils their mood of eternal enjoyment. As the Alternative Economic Survey (AES) disturbs their mood, it is completely blacked out. This is what it says:

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All the disturbing features of our socio-economic situation unfolding over the past 15 years have now reached alarming proportions. The tendency of the ruling elite to cover up the harsh reality and present a misleading picture by deploying newer terminology and selectively chosen and often fudged data in addition to the use of age-old hyperboles is continuing with added force. A basic purpose of AES continues to remain to pierce through the veil of disinformation and try to bring out a more realistic picture.

Ours is an exercise undertaken by a group of concerned citizens from various walks of life. As in the past, our analyses try to provide a balanced picture in terms of well-established development and socio-economic theories (as critical exercises exposing the hollowness of the mainstream growth as development theories and by drawing on the current people-centric, comprehensive theories of development), sound logic and impeccable facts drawn from authentic and authoritative sources. In this process we find that the very facts chosen and the statements made by the votaries of the so-called reforms to proclaim the success of their policies expose the whitewashing done by them and reveal the real picture of our socio-economic situation. The much-touted acceleration in the rate of growth of GDP is found to be accompanied by its increasing irrelevance for the aam adami and negative externalities for the country as a whole as well as for the unborn generations. From these analyses it emerges that the so-called Indian democratic state has, in effect, become a tool in the hands of the ruling plutocracy working for the interest of the corporate sector, both Indian and foreign.

Over the years, the authors of AES have been bringing out the aggravation of the deep and multifaceted disparities as the main and most unwholesome outcome of the politics based on liberalisation-privatisation-globalisation. Last year our focus was on the disequalising effects of these so-called reforms. It is now becoming increasingly clear that even the proponents of the so-called reforms (those very forces that are mainly responsible for these disquietening inequalities) are no longer able to ignore these hard facts. While celebrating the completion of two years of UPA’s rule, the head of government loudly proclaimed that the economics of inequality practiced by the previous NDA regime had been defeated by the people.

Even more telling is the fact that in the Approach Paper to the Eleventh Five Year Plan, titled Towards Faster and More inclusive Growth there are two large and prominent sections — “Strategic Initiatives for Inclusive Development” and “Bridging Divides: Including the Excluded’. The chickens seem to have come home to roost. It is indeed a welcome development that the great and unjust divides, tearing apart Indian society have come to receive the attention of the authorities who have all these years been systematically avoiding any references to issues relating to income distribution under the overpowering impact of their single-minded love for the fast and sustainable growth of the national income. However, it appears that this is nothing more than rhetoric since equity does not seem to be a genuine operational concern with the liberalisers. Their new found concern about divides in Indian society and exclusion appears to be essentially a tactical move. The authorities seem to have adopted these imprecise and misleadingly defined concerns in order to overcome the political and economic hurdles faced by and the growing costs of the fast track growth path (arising mainly on account of growing disparities). The new inclusive growth rhetoric is also directed at perpetuating their age-old game of democratic deceit for partisan electoral ends.

One comes across some clear statements that show that when it comes to a conflict between growth as the prime objective and some degree of social inclusiveness (not to be confused with equity, which is contingent on a continuing and meaningful measure of redistribution and fair and universal assured participation in the composite social-national life to the hitherto deprived and downtrodden people), the votaries of unregulated markets and private enterprise are very clear about their unambiguous choice in favour of the former. Let us illustrate their vote in favour of growth when the choice between social equity and growth as usual is forced on them. Discussing the changing employment pattern as a consequence of targeting a 9 per cent rate of growth of GDP, the Eleventh Plan Approach Paper recognises that, “income disparity between agriculture and non-agriculture will increase further unless the agricultural work force reduces absolutely by around 10 million during the 11th Plan and non-agricultural employment increases by 5 per cent per annum to absorb not just this shift but also all new entrants to the labour force.

Taking note of the major challenge involved in “managing the resulting livelihood changes” entailed by this structural change, the paper goes on to add that, “while yield growth, changes in relative prices and shift to higher value crops can moderate this effect, we must recognise that existing size of operational holdings sets a limit to how much can be earned from farming.

Many more farmers will resort to mechanisation in order to increase productivity, and in the process reduce employment of hired labour. Many other farmers would find it better to lease or sell their plots and move to non-agricultural occupations that provide better income.

Such displacement of hired labour and increase in land transactions can be socially disruptive but must nonetheless be facilitated for productivity gains to be achieved and to prevent land from being left fallow.

Given the sheer magnitude of workers currently tied to land, as compared to those in the organised sector, this issue could dwarf the ones usually raised in discussions regarding labour market flexibility. If there were any lingering doubts about the pseudo character of the concern with inclusiveness, this projection and policy preference by policy makers wedded to growth as their primary goal, would provide clinching evidence, in their own publicly stated position, that “social disruption” caused by the pursuit of higher “productivity gains” is not only acceptable but is to be facilitated by the Indian planners.

The reason why we allude to this emerging trend is to be warned against the trap laid out by the glib talk of “inclusiveness” and the need to “bridge the social divides”. The discussion in the Approach Paper on “the poverty divide” just does not mention the top end of the distribution pyramid. After all, enriching this top of the social distribution pyramid is the declared primary aim and the chosen means by which the liberalisers hope to reduce the number of excluded people (of course, at an unspecified rate and over an unspecified period of time). Moreover, poverty programmes have been reduced to provide mere subsistence mainly by way of various pull up programmes that have been in operation for over three decades with no real dent in the wellsprings, structures and processes causing severe livelihood crisis for most of our fellow citizens. In fact, the poor have been “othered” by the liberalisers as sacrificial goats on the altar of high productivity and growth. This is visible in a very stark form in the manner in which the historic, pro-people legislation on the Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, currently implemented in 200 districts, is being effectively sabotaged by the bureaucratic-political combine at most of the places. This reminds one of the manner in which the land reforms laws and programme in the 1950s and 1960s were undone by the very same forces. It is these kinds of challenges and their persistence that impel us to bring out how disempowerment of the masses is the real name of the game called economic reforms.

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ENEMY NOT IDENTIFIED

The Preface of the Survey report is exactly on the lines of our thoughts except for one serious deficiency. For the current grave economic crisis — so effectively narrated in the report — you have put the blame on the “ruling elite”. This is the problem.

You have brought out a fine report pinpointing the serious problems facing the country. But what is the use of the report for the victims of this crisis like us unless the authors of the report identify the culprits and name them? Instead of doing that you have only favoured the enemy oppressor by hiding its identity. India’s communist parties and Maoists also practice the same deception and that is why the oppressed people of India do not support them. Your silence on the principal contradiction of India is a grave error because instead of helping the victims to identify the oppressors you are hiding the enemy.

This makes us suspect that you are also part of the enemy oppressor being their caste-class cohorts. As Dalits and Ambedkarites we find lots and lots of intellectual dishonesty in India. There are several varieties of frauds parading in India. But of all the frauds we find “intellectual dishonesty” as the most serious form of fraud. Excuse us for this blunt talk. We did it in your interest because the oppressor you are probing is no ordinary enemy.

India is the only country having the caste system controlled by its Brahminical racists who have dragged down this country and made it a pauper nation. You and your experts all know it but hesitate to name it.

When you do not diagnose the disease, how can you help cure the disease? May be some of the “experts” in your team may belong to the Brahminical Social Order hence you may not like to criticise their jati. This is exactly what we mean by intellectual dishonesty which discredits your otherwise honest and crusading mission. Please excuse us for our honest expression of views but that will not come in the way of congratulating you. We will not only publish a report in Dalit Voice but also advertise your document — EDITOR.

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D.V. REFERENCE TO INDIA’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC CRISIS

DV Edit Dec.16, 2006 p.12: “Summit of the Powerless warns of disaster ahead: Lambs meet upper caste wolves”.

DV Edit Oct.16, 2006: “GDPwalas misleading world: Rise of China used to make India slave of America”.

DV Edit Sept.1, 2006: “Rising social tensions will push India to more bloody violence: WB warning”.

DV Aug.16, 2006 p.6: ‘Upper caste oppression forcing break-up of India”.

DV Edit July 16, 2006: India grounded & refusing to take off: Manmohan Singh & Co. misleading people”.

DV Feb.16, 2006 p.27: “The fallen & forgotten 26% Indians”.

DV Feb.1, 2006 p.8: “Employment Guarantee Scheme bound to fail”.

DV Edit Dec.1, 2005: “DV extents caste identity to Economic planning”.

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Alternative economic survey

2005-2006

Discloses the harsh realities and shocking picture of India’s slow death

DISEMPOWERING MASSES

Alternative Survey Group

Preface by Kamal Nayan Kabra

Analytical reprots by 23 experts on
different subjects.

2006 pp.305 Rs. 275

Danish Books
B-802, Taj Apts., Gazipur, Delhi - 110 096

email: daanishbooks@gmail.com

Naga revolt against India’s Brahminical rule

Bangalore: Of all the Mongoloid “Seven Sisters” in the North-East which are not at all happy with the Brahminical India since “independence” (1947), Nagaland has been the most rebellious. Much of the North-East people feel betrayed by the rulers of India. Nagaland leader Muivah, who led his Naga people’s revolt against India, arrived in Delhi on Dec.21, 2006 on the invitation of the Govt. of India and was asked if he was looking for a solution within the Indian federal system or outside the federal system. He said the federation must be there, but a federation of India and Nagalim, not a federation within Indian federation. On the negotiation front, Muivah pointed out that it will be not be very easy for the Govt. of India to say yes to its demands and that likewise, it will not be possible for his party, NSCN (LM), to say yes to the Govt. of India. “But it must be understood that Naga history is unique and our right is unique, we will base on that.” (Morung Express, Dec.22, 2006).

INDIA SHINING

India killing girl child

Ten million girls have been killed by their parents in India in the past 20 years, either before birth or immediately after. A UNICEF report says 7,000 fewer girls are born in the country every day than the global average would suggest, largely because female foetuses are aborted after sex determination tests but also through murder of new borns. Union Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury on Dec.14 said girls are seen as liabilities by many Indians, especially because of the banned but rampant practice of dowry where the bride’s parents pay cash and goods to the grooms family. Who has killed these girl children? Their own parents.

—(www.abcnews.go.com/health/story?id=272876& page=1)

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Child care neglected

New Delhi: Though India had made progress in the social and economic sector it has failed in the field of child-care and nutrition, which is a “terrible” handicap for the county, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen said here on Dec.19. “India is in a peculiar position today. While it has made substantial progress in certain areas, there have been major failures too. Nothing has been as dramatic as the failure to provide fair and just arrangement for the well-being and growing up of our children”, he said. India had one of the highest prevalence of underweight children in the world.

—(Hindu, Dec.20, 2006).

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Country of illiterates?

New Delhi: Kerala topped the list of states in terms of literacy, while the rural areas of Bihar had the worst literacy rate as around 50% of the people in the age group of 5-29 years have not gone to any educational institution. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) said the literacy rate in India during 2004-05 was 64%. Bihar’s rural areas had the lowest literacy rate — 44%, while the urban literacy rate was lowest in Rajasthan at 64%. The survey also found that only about 50 of the people in the age group of 5-29 were currently attending any educational institution. They included 53% males and 46% females.

—(Times of India, Dec.20, 2006)

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