BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO
January 22, 2015 | Image Source: narendramodi.in
A decline in the sex ratio of the girl children leads to the threat against women empowerment and more discrimination against the girl child. Despite decades of collective efforts by subsequent governments and civil society to bring equality in girl child rights and education, the condition of girl children in India is still unnerving.
So, a need arose to ensure the protection for and prevent discrimination against ‘the female’.
As a result, on 22 January 2015, a scheme named ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, hereinafter referred to as BBBP, was launched by the PM of India in Haryana under the ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare, and Human Resource Development.
The main objectives of the scheme were to:
Address the declining Child Sex Ratio, hereinafter referred to as CSR,
Help in eliminating gender discrimination,
Protect the girl child, and
Ensure her proper education.
The scheme was introduced firstly in 100 districts with significantly less CSR as per the census of 2011. To expand the project further, 61 additional districts were selected from 11 states and UTs having CSR below 918. On 8th March 2018, the PAN India Expansion of BBBP was launched in all 640 districts according to the census of 2011.
The scheme’s implementation is led by the Ministry of Women and Child Development with support from State Social Welfare departments along with departments of health and education. On the ground, the District Collectors, hereinafter referred to as DCs, and the District Magistrates, hereinafter referred to as DMs, drive the scheme.
The latest reports as per Health Management Information System data of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for 161 BBBP districts indicate that for the period between April-March, 2015–16 & 2016–17, the progress on intermediary targets are as follows:
Moreover, the scheme benefits the entire society. The government has spent more than Rs. 150 Crore to extend security reforms under BBBP.
Three classifications have been made into primary, secondary and tertiary groups to target the entire country. Various other schemes were introduced under BBBP such as Sukanya Samridhi Yojana, Balika Samridhi Yojana, Ladli Laxmi Yojana, Ladli Scheme, Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana and many more.
Several states have taken initiatives and implemented the scheme. Pithoragarh district has taken various steps to protect the girl child and provide education to her. District Taskforce and Block Task Force have been created. These tasks work to organise road maps for development in terms of child ratio. Awareness generation activities have been carried out for a wider reach of the scheme. Street plays, signature campaigns, pledge and oath ceremony are some methods used to aware people of BBBP.
In Mansa, Punjab, several initiatives have been initiated to encourage girls to pursue their education. A sub-scheme named ‘Udaan- Sapneya Di Duniya De Rubaru’ was introduced to the teenage girls who gave them the opportunity to spend one day with the professionals they aspire to be.
(Continued in Part-II)
Views are the writer’s own and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Volunteers Collective.
Written by Jasleen Kaur. Jasleen was an intern at Volunteers Collective and a contributor to the collective’s publishing platform. She can be reached out at jasleenkhalsa97@gmail.com.
