New Delhi, Dec 13 : Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar on Monday said in the Lok Sabha that the Centre has taken several measures to improve the girl child education in the country. Responding to a question asked during the question hour in the Lower House, Sarkar said that the government had 13 sent advisories during the lockdown period on the online teaching facility to all the states and union territories (UTs), and through different portals students are being taught online. Replying to the Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's question about the female students dropping out of school due to pandemic-induced situations, the Minister also said that the government has taken steps to improve the gap between girl children and boys students, especially after the Covid pandemic. Education being in 'concurrent list', the Centre has provided various online teaching apps for the education of the girl child and steps have been taken to improve the connectivity and other problems of online classes. On a question on Dharavi slum being under a 'non-recovery' area, and therefore does not have any nationalised bank, the Minister of State for Finance Bhagawat Karad informed the House that opening of bank is decided at the State-level bank committees and he suggested that it should be taken up with the state level committees. He also said that after a survey made by a committee, the branches of a nationalised banks can be opened and citizens there will be able to avail the schemes of the Centre. While responding to a query regarding the leave provisions for women staffers of the banks, the minister said that substantial leave of two-years to meet their special issues...are given to female staff along with the preference in transfer and postings in the public sector banks. Earlier, when the House assembled at 11 a.m., Speaker Om Birla recalled the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament. "On this occasion we reaffirm our resolution to fight against terrorism." The entire House observed silence as a mark of respect to the martyrs who scarified their lives during the terror attack 20 years ago. /IANS