Literacy Pattern of Schedule Tribes in HP: A Geographical Analysis

In spite of slow economic progress, Himachal Pradesh has recorded an impressive social development, where literacy constitutes one of the major social aspects in which considerable progress has been made. At the time of 2011 census the state literacy level was higher than that of India. The literacy level of scheduled tribes vis-à-vis the general population a notable disparity clearly comes out between the literacy levels of the two components of the society in Himachal Pradesh. The relatively low literacy level of the scheduled tribes can be attributed to the historical reasons and their continuing backwardness. Secondly, the majority of the scheduled tribes are either landless or they are small landholders which is one of the reasons of their continuing poverty.