Over 60 pc women in 12 states and UTs never used internet: Survey
New Delhi, Dec 15: Over 60 per cent women in 12 states and union territories have never used the internet, the latest National Family Health Survey has revealed.
The survey covered 22 states and UTs in the country.
The states and UTs where less than 40 per cent women have used the internet are Andhra Pradesh (21 per cent), Assam (28.2 per cent), Bihar (20.6 per cent), Gujarat (30.8 per cent), Karnataka (35 per cent), Maharashtra (38 per cent), Meghalaya (34.7 per cent), Telangana (26.5 per cent), Tripura (22.9 per cent), West Bengal (25.5 per cent), Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (36.7 per cent) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (34.8 per cent), the survey revealed.
In comparison, more percentage of men have used the internet.
About 50 per cent men have used the internet in seven states -- Andhra Pradesh (48.8 per cent), Assam (42.3 per cent), Bihar (43.6 per cent), Meghalaya (42.1 per cent), Tripura (45.7 per cent), West Bengal (46.7 per cent), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (46.5 per cent), according to the data.
According to the survey, Andhra Pradesh (68.6 per cent), Bihar (57.8 per cent) and Telangana (66.6 per cent) accounted for the lowest literacy rates among women, while Kerala (98.3 per cent), Lakshadweep (96.5 per cent) and Mizoram (94.4 per cent) recorded the highest literacy rate among women in surveyed states and UTs.
Andhra Pradesh (79.5 per cent) and Bihar (78.5 per cent) accounted for lowest literacy rates among men while Kerala (98.2 per cent) and Lakshadweep (99.1 per cent) recorded the highest literacy rate among men in surveyed states and UTs.
Literacy refers to women or men who completed standard 9 or higher and women or men who can read a whole sentence or part of a sentence, the survey said.
Less than 40 per cent women had 10 or more years of schooling in eight states and UTs of Andhra Pradesh (39.6 per cent), Assam (29.6 per cent), Bihar (28.8 per cent), Gujarat (33.8 per cent), Meghalaya (35.1 per cent), Tripura (23.2 per cent), West Bengal (32.9 per cent) and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (35.8 per cent).
Less than 50 per cent men had 10 or more years of schooling in nine states and UTs of Andhra Pradesh (47.9 per cent), Assam (35.5 per cent), Bihar (42.8 per cent), Gujarat (45.6 per cent), Meghalaya (34.7 per cent), Mizoram (49.1 per cent), Tripura (29.4 per cent), West Bengal (34.7 per cent) and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (49.4 per cent).
The NFHS-5 (2019-20) was conducted in 6.1 lakh sample households, involving household-level interviews, to collect information on population, health, family planning and nutrition related indicators from 22 states and UTs.
The NFHS results of 17 states and five UTs (Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Mizoram, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu) have been released now as Phase-I. Phase-II covering other states will be released next year, the Health Ministry had said.
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Three dead after drinking country liquor in Meerut, police initiate probe
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Three people died under suspicious circumstances after consuming country liquor in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary probe has not confirmed if they died due to the quality of alcohol, officials said on Saturday.
All three vomited and had abdominal pain after drinking the liquor on Friday evening and were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead. A post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death, they said.
According to the police, Baburam (60), a grocery shop owner, Jitendra (35), who worked at his shop and Ankit alias Daulat (40), purchased liquor in the evening from a government-authorised country liquor outlet and began drinking at the spot.
Shortly after drinking the liquor, the health of all three deteriorated, and they began complaining of vomiting and abdominal pain.
The three were rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared Jitendra and Ankit dead, while Baburam passed away during treatment.
Additional Director General (ADG) of Police for the Meerut Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, District Magistrate VK Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey, and District Excise Officer Pradeep Kumar reached the spot and initiated an investigation.
SSP Avinash Pandey said that preliminary investigations have not confirmed whether the liquor was "toxic or expired". The bottling date was found to be February 11, 2026, and other bottles from the same batch received no such complaints.
He added that a post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death. Personnel from the Health, Forensic, Surveillance, and Intelligence teams have been constituted to investigate the matter.
Following the incident, the family members created a ruckus at the hospital. Police said further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
