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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Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to consultant Chetan Patil arrested in connection with the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj''s statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan in August.

A 35-foot statue of the iconic Maratha warrior king collapsed in Sindhudurg district on August 26, nearly nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled it on Navy Day.

Patil was arrested on August 30 from Kolhapur.

A single bench of Justice A S Kilor on Thursday held that no case was made out to implicate Patil in the case as he had not been appointed as the structural designer of the statue.

The bench further said Patil had only submitted a structural stability report of the pedestal of the statue and the pedestal was intact even after the collapse.

Another accused, Jaydeep Apte, who was the sculptor and contractor, was also arrested in the case. The HC said it would hear his bail plea on November 25.

The Sindhudurg police had registered an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for negligence and other offences last month against Apte and Patil for the statue's collapse.

Patil and Apte moved HC seeking bail after a sessions court rejected their pleas.