Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen yesterday praised Bangladesh for its achievements in health and women's education, saying it surpassed India in these fields.
"There is lower maternal mortality in Bangladesh than in India. Literacy rate of girls is more. There is a 95 percent immunisation rate. In absolutely every respect, Bangladesh has overtaken India," Sen said during an interaction at a Cancer Foundation of India programme in Kolkata.
Sen's Pratichi Trust, which he set up with his Nobel Prize money, works in both India and Bangladesh in the sectors of health and education.
Pointing out that education has brought about a dramatic change in the lives of women in Bangladesh, Sen said they are now playing an important role in the country's economy and society.