The brief examines India's foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) landscape in light of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. According to the 2024 report by the national assessment regulatory body, PARAKH, released in July 2025, FLN levels have not improved beyond 2017 scores, despite some recovery post-pandemic. The report emphasizes significant disparities in learning outcomes both within and between states, underscoring the need for strengthened local governance capacities. Notably, rural government schools have surpassed urban private schools in several states, suggesting that interventions from the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat Mission, launched in 2021, may be effective. The brief calls for states to implement micro-planning and robust, real-time data systems to address entrenched learning gaps, advocating for integrated monitoring as a crucial component in this effort. India's commitment to equitable education aligns with the principles outlined in the NEP 2020, which aims for universal foundational literacy and numeracy by the academic year 2026–27.