Kovind concerned over skewed gender ratio in IITs
Kharagpur (West Bengal), July 20 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday expressed concern over the skewed gender ratio in technical institutes of the country, particularly at the IITs, and stressed the need for more participation of girl students in higher education. particularly in science and technology.
Addressing the 64th Convocation of IIT-Kharagpur, he said it should be a national priority to get more girl students in technical institutes and the IIT community must take the lead.
"Without meeting this challenge and without providing the necessary opportunities for our girl child and young women, the development of Indian society can never be possible," the President said.
He pointed out that while over 1.6 lakh students appeared for the IIT Joint Entrance Examination, only 30,000 of them were girls.
In undergraduate class of IIT, 10,878 students got admission, out of them only 995 were girls. "After that 11,653 students were enrolled among which only 1,925 were girls which is a little above 16 per cent which is not acceptable at all," he said.
"IIT Kharagpur must act, because it is located in a state (West Bengal) that has historically produced illustrious women achievers who have contributed a great deal to nation building and to our society."
Pointing to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was also present on the dais, he said: "We are fortunate that one of them, Mamata Banerjee, is present with us today."
However, Kovind also mentioned that IIT Kharagpur has the largest percentage of women in leadership roles among all IITs, which can inspire junior girl students.
In this context, the President referred to the Infosys Foundation that funds women researchers attending major international conferences. "This is a good step but a long term process," he said.
He also unveiled the plaque of a girls' hostel and a guest house in the name of one of his predecessors A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was also present on the occasion.
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Manipur: Mortal remains of children killed in bomb attack handed over to family
Imphal (PTI): The mortal remains of two children, who were killed in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district in April, were handed over to family members on Saturday, officials said.
The bodies of the five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister were kept in the morgue for 25 days, as the family members had refused to accept the mortal remains, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to book at the earliest.
On April 25, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh had appealed to the family members of the children to accept the bodies. Singh had also said that all efforts were underway to find the culprits.
The two children were killed in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district on April 7. Their bodies were kept in the morgue at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.
The incident had triggered widespread violent protests in the five valley districts of Manipur, and the case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
Hundreds of people lined up along the way to Tronglaobi to offer floral tributes, as the mortal remains were taken for the last rites in an open vehicle earlier in the day.
