Bihar Chief Minister Nitish on Wednesday apologised for his remarks about how educated women can ensure birth control through the withdrawal method, reported PTI.
This was after his remarks attracted a sharp reaction from the National Commission for Women on Tuesday who sought an apology from Kumar.
The Janata Dal (United) leader made the comments at the state Assembly explaining why Bihar’s fertility rate has dropped from 4.2% to 2.9%. Kumar said that an uneducated married woman often fails to adopt birth control methods and that leads to more children. But an educated woman can prevent getting pregnant through the withdrawal method, he said.
The chief minister was telling the Assembly that his policies that are aimed at improving education among girls have also helped with population control. However, he faced backlash from the women’s panel who described his comments as “crass”.
On Wednesday, Kumar told reporters that he had made the comments in earnest after he learnt that education played a key role in bringing down the fertility rate and curbing population growth.
“We found that the fertility rate among couples who have studied till Class 10, was 2% in Bihar,” Kumar told reporters. “The national fertility rate of a married woman who continued her studies after…
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