IAS officer (1992 batch) and Managing Director of Bihar’s Women and Child Development Corporation, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, has courted controversy with her response on sanitary napkins at a workshop with school girls in Bihar. Bamrah was seen giving snarky responses to a teenage girl when she asked her about the possibility of the state government giving sanitary napkins at Rs 20-30.
During the workshop on ‘Sashakt Beti, Samriddh Bihar’ event, which had the tagline “Towards enhancing the value of girls", a student asked Bamrah, whether the government can provide girls with sanitary napkins at a cheaper rate. While the question was followed by a round of applause, Bamrah said, "Those clapping, tell me is there any end to such demands? Tomorrow you will say the government can give jeans pants too. And after that why not some beautiful shoes? Eventually, when it comes to family planning you will expect the government to give you family planning methods, and condoms, too. Why there is need to take everything for free?"
Further, when a student reminded Bamrah of how the government is voted to power by the people, she snapped and said that the thought is sheer "stupidity". “This is heights of stupidity. Don’t vote, then. Bann jao Pakistan (become like Pakistan). Do you vote for money and services?"
Once more, when another student raised the issue of the toilets at government schools and the need of separate toilets based on gender, Bamrah said, “Do you all have separate toilets at home? How is it going to work if you keep asking for several things at different places?"
Bamrah's remarks have drawn fury on social media, with people lashing out at the leader over her series of "insensitive responses".
