Gender ratio in Bengal's higher education institutes improved in last decade: Mamata

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said gender ratio in higher education institutes in the state had improved over the last 10 years.

Taking to Twitter, Banerjee, on the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, stated that her government had launched the 'Kanyashree' scheme in 2013 to encourage women to pursue higher education.

"Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To encourage women to pursue higher education, Our Govt in #Bangla has extended #Kanyashree scheme to universities. Female gender ratio in higher education institutions in #Bangla has gone up from 42% in 2010-11 to 47.3%," she tweeted.

Kanyashree Prakalpa, launched by the state government in 2013, is a cash-transfer scheme aimed at retaining girls in schools and preventing their early marriage.

The scheme had in 2017 bagged the United Nations Public Service Award at The Hague.