In addition to the increased risk of disease, the lack of sanitation facilities also makes women and girls susceptible to harassment and illiteracy.

But she was also a pioneer of freebies and those came at a cost.

But female participation in India’s workforce has declined from 34% in 1999 to 27% in 2014, making it the worst rate among BRICS nations.

The Indian Railways is the largest employer of manual scavengers, along with the army and municipalities. The scavengers are almost all Dalit or from lower Hindu castes.

The trend of more young men than women is evident at almost every level after high school, except M.Phil, post graduate and certificate courses, where female enrolment is slightly higher than male enrolment.

With some criticising Modi's comparison of Kerala with Somalia, World Bank data shows that 13 African countries have better infant mortality rates than India.

Widowed women, 29.2 million, lead the single-women category in rural areas followed by those who never married at 13.2 million.

Chicken has emerged as India’s third highest source of protein, with consumption almost tripling. However, with rising demand pushing up prices, the consumption of costlier protein sources has fallen.