Himachal Pradesh: Scripting success

For a state that walked the path of development and industrialisation far later than its neighbouring states, Himachal Pradesh has done fairly well and has set high standards for itself for the future. "It's been a tough terrain," says Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. "We have progressed inch by inch, rock by rock."

Education has always been a primary focus in the state, with health and roads following close behind. Not content with its enrolment rate of over 20 per cent for higher education (the highest in the country and twice the national average of about 10 per cent), Dhumal is aiming for the 50 per cent mark. An IIT, a Central university and a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) are on the anvil. Three private universities have arrived and six more are set to step in. With a literacy rate much higher (76.5 in 2001 Census) than the national rate, the state has been able to bring down the dropout rate in primary and upper primary education to 0.01.