Dhaka: Primary and Mass Education Minister Mustafizur Rahman on Sunday announced that the government will provide stipends to 52 lakh more primary school students.

‘At present, 78 lakh students get stipends and the number will be taken to 1.30 crore…all the primary students will be brought under stipend facilities in phases,’ he told a press briefing at his ministry marking the International Literacy Day.

Citing the BBS report 2013, Mustafizur Rahman said the country’s literacy rate now stands at 61 percent and the government has taken a mega project, ‘Basic Literacy Project’, to raise it further.

Around 45 lakh illiterate people, aged between 15-45 years, in 64 districts will be made literate through implementing the project, the minister added.