Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Why 55% Guj women anaemic: Rahul asks Modi

- Indo Asian News Service letters@hindustant­imes.com ▪

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked his fifth question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run up to the Gujarat polls, raising concerns over safety, health, education and crimes against women the state.

He accused Modi of making fake promises to the women of Gujarat where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in power for the last 22 years and where rate of conviction in crime against women is at a meagre 3%.

Citing records from central agencies and institutio­ns, the Congress leader pointed out that Gujarat was ranked third in human traffickin­g, fifth in acid attacks on women and 10th in rape of minor girls.

He asked Modi, who served as the Gujarat chief minister from October 2001 to May 2014, why female literacy rate had dropped from over 70 per cent in 2001 to 57 per cent in 2011.

“Why ‘no justice for women’ as only 3 per cent of those accused of crimes against

GUJARAT IS RANKED THIRD IN TRAFFICKIN­G, FIFTH IN ACID ATTACKS ON WOMEN AND TENTH IN RAPE OF MINOR GIRLS

women get convicted?” he tweeted. Why are two most important cities Ahmedabad and Surat ranked among the top 10 cities in crime against women in India. Why does Gujarat lag behind at 20th place in girl child education,” he asked, pointing out that gross enrolment ratio is at 20.5 against national average of 23.5 (higher eduction).

Gandhi’s question comes in the wake of the party’s strategy to pose one question to Modi every day till the polling day on December 9.

He asked the Prime Minister about the women health issues in the state, pointing out that the maternal mortality rate had increased to 85, putting Gujarat “at number 11 among 15 states in reduction of MMR”.

“Why 67% mothers of newborns in the state are denied facility of free transporta­tion in government ambulance? Why are 55% women anaemic?”

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