CENSUS 2001: THE HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION Worse still, at a deeper level it pointed to a grave violation of human rights resulting from female infanticide and foeticide, the latter the consequence of the wide-spread misuse of sex-determination tests. • On the literacy front, it was heartening to note from Census 2001 that the literacy rate in the population over 7 years of age rose to 65.38 per cent as against 52.7 per cent in 1991, an increase of 13.17 percentage points. Even more heartening was the fact that the literacy rate for females increased by 14.87 percentage points during this period, as against 11.72 percentage points for males. This helped to reduce the gap between male and female literacy from 28.84 percentage points in 1991 to 21.70 percentage points in 2001. • For the first time since Independence, too, the absolute number of illiterates in the country showed a decline. There were 31.96 million less illiterate persons in India in 2001 compared to 1991, the decline among males being 21.45 million, and 10.51 million among females. • Bihar recorded the lowest literacy rate in the country (47 per cent). The other States falling below the national average of 65.38 per cent being: Andhra Pradesh (61.11), Arunachal Pradesh (57.74), Assam (64.28), Chhatisgarh (65.18), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (60.03), Jammu and Kashmir (54.46), Jharkhand (54.13), Madhya Pradesh (64.11), Rajasthan (61.03) and Uttar Pradesh (57.36). 2.6 In the light of the above, and in addition to the recommendations contained in its preceding Annual Report on the measures to be taken to combat discrimination based on gender, the Commission now urges that: • The correct conclusions be drawn from the Provisional Population Results of Census 2001 both at the Central and State levels: these should lead to the formulation and better implementation of policies, programmes and laws to further reduce the disparities that continue to exist between males and females in the country in respect of access to education, nutrition and health care; and • A concerted effort is made to end the misuse of sex-determination tests in the country since this has encouraged the evil practice of female foeticide, a gross violation of the right to life and the worst possible form of discrimination based on sex. NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION