Literate Goa plagued with infant mortality BY HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, JAN 30 - Although Goa ranks as the fourth highest literate State in the country as indicated in the Census report of 2001, the report indicates that Goa is still ailing with problems of infant mortality pegged at 17 per cent and that 3.9 per cent of the population continues to live in dilapidated housing conditions.
In a data dissemination workshop on Census 2001 held in the capital today, it was disclosed that Goa's population is 13,47,668 and has recorded a growth of 15.21 per cent during 1991-2001 decade. The literacy rate is, however, 82 per cent with male literacy recording 88.4 per cent and female literacy at 75.4 per cent. A large disparity is noted in the work force between males at 54.6 per cent and females at 22.4 per cent. Interestingly, on the occupation and employment front, agriculture activities in Goa is on the downslide with only 9.6 per cent being cultivators, 6.8 per cent engaged as agricultural labourers, 2.8 per cent engaged in household cottage industries and almost 80 per cent engaged in other occupations. One of the main thrust of Census 2001 was on the status of households which was categorises into good, livable and dilapidated. It was noted that South Goa is far more urbansied than the North with 30.3 per cent households in the South having improved on their living conditions. South Goa also has a lesser rate of households in dilapidated conditions pegged at 3.1 per cent while the North has 4.8 per cent. Experts, however, feel that Goa on the whole is turning in a highly urbanized society with good housing conditions. It is opined that Goa may witness further urnabisation in the alleged absence of planning in rural areas. Other data furnished also indicates that Goa's sex ratio in the age group of (0-6) is 938 while at national level it is pegged at 927. In the general sex ratio category, Goa records 961 as against the national figure of 933. As far as the SC population, Goa has 1.8 per cent as against national figures of 16.2 per cent and the ST population in Goa is 0.10 per cent as against national figures of 8.2 per cent. The Hindu community is recorded at 65.8 per cent, followed by Christians 26.7 per cent, Muslims 6.8 per cent, Sikhs 0.1 per cent and Jains 0.1 per cent. The 2001 Census is the 14th in the series, the 6th after independence and the first in the new millennium.
