I was referred to as burden at my birth, says Smriti Irani

Bhopal, June 27: Union Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani today revealed that at the time of her birth, she was cursed as a "burden" by someone.

"I am sharing it for the first time that when I was born, someone hinted to my mother that beti to bojh hoti hai (daughter is a burden) and therefore she should kill me. But my mother was brave and she did not do that because of which today I am standing here in front of you," Irani said when a student asked her about the menace of female foeticide.

"Such a malpractice should be curbed and it was a priority programme for the government," she said and added, "If you teach a girl, then you are not just imparting education to a woman but to a family which will later help in nation building."

To a query on different boards and curriculum in various states, Irani said the issue of uniformity in education will be addressed in National Education Policy (NEP).

Referring to another question, she said the government is committed to linking education with skill development for addressing the problem of unemployment in the country and also to making the curriculum more practical.

The NEP will be formulated after discussing the issue at national, state, regional and also international level to address all issues, she said. She informed that the HRD ministry is also working on creating a national e-library project so that students and other citizens have access to vast knowledge bank.

For the purpose, the ministry will also collaborate with international libraries. The ministry is also focused on imparting quality training to the teachers, she said.

PTI