An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) IAS officer in India’s Bihar city is receiving criticism for giving a reply to a girl who asked if they can be provided with sanitary napkins.
A video in which the IAS officer Harjot Kaur Bamhrah is purportedly seen and heard responding has gone viral on social media.
“When the government is providing us school uniforms, scholarships and so many other things, why can’t it provide Whisper [a brand of sanitary pads] of ₹20-30?” asked the school girl from the IAS officer.
“There is a need to change the mindset. Why [should] the government provide you everything free? Tomorrow you’ll say the government can provide jeans and why not some beautiful shoes thereafter? And eventually, at the time of family planning, you will expect government to provide Nirodh [brand of condom] too,” he replied
When the student reminded her that people’s votes make the government, the officer snapped: “This is height of stupidity. Don’t vote, then. Become Pakistan. Do you vote for money and services?”
Another student complained about a broken bathroom door at her school, to which the officer replied: “Tell me, do you have separate toilets at your home for males and females? If you keep asking for a lot of things at different places, how will it work?”
The officer heads the state’s Women and Child Development Corporation, which organised the function on Tuesday in partnership with Unicef and other organisations.
