Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana

This article is part of a series about Narendra Modi

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Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Hindi: बेटी बचाओ, बेटी पढ़ाओ, Save girl child, educate girl child) is a Government of India scheme that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services meant for women. The scheme was launched with an initial corpus of ₹100 crore (US$15 million).^[1]

According to census data, the child sex ratio (0–6 years) in India was 927 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, which dropped drastically to 918^[2] girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. A 2012 UNICEF report ranked India 41st among 195 countries.

The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme was introduced in October, 2014 to address the issue of declining child sex ratio (CSR). This is implemented through a national campaign and focused multi-sector action in 100 selected districts with low CSR, covering all States and UTs. It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Speaking on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child, Prime Minister Modi, called for the eradication of female foeticide and invited suggestions from the citizens of India on "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" on the MyGov.in portal.^[3]

Prime Minister Modi launched the programme on 22 January 2015 from Panipat, Haryana.^[4][5]

In August 2016, Olympics 2016 bronze medalist Sakshi Malik was made brand ambassador of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative in Haryana.^[6]

The hashtag #SelfieWithDaughter was promoted on social media in June 2015, which started when the sarpanch of the village Bibipur in Haryana took a selfie with his daughter and posted on Facebook on 19 June 2015.^[7] The hashtag garnered worldwide fame.^[8]

Need

Sex-selective abortion or female foeticide has led to a sharp drop in the ratio of girls born in contrast to boy infants in some states in India. Ultrasound technology has made it possible for pregnant women and their families to learn the gender of a foetus early in a pregnancy. Discrimination against girl infants, for several reasons, has combined with the technology to result in a rise in abortions of foetuses identified as female during ultrasonic testing.

The trend was first noticed when results of the 1991 national census were released, and it was confirmed to be a worsening problem when results of the 2001 national census were released. The reduction in the female population of certain Indian states continues to worsen, as results of the 2011 national census have shown. It has been observed that the trend is most pronounced in relatively prosperous regions of India.^[9] The dowry system in India is often blamed; the expectation that a large dowry must be provided for daughters in order for them to marry is frequently cited as a major cause for the problem.^[10] Pressure for parents to provide large dowries for their daughters is most intense in prosperous states where high standards of living, and modern consumerism, are more prevalent in Indian society.

Rates of female foeticide in Madhya Pradesh are increasing; the rate of live births was 932 girls per 1000 boys in 2001, which dropped to 918 by 2011. It is expected that if this trend continues, by 2021 the number of girls will drop below 900 per 1000 boys.^[11]

Districts

The 100 districts have been identified on the basis of low Child Sex Ratio as per Census 2011 covering all States/UTs as a pilot with at least one district in each state.^[12]

1.Districts below the national average (87 districts/23 states); 2.Districts above national average but shown declining trend (8 districts/8 states) 3.Districts above national average and shown increasing trend (5 districts/5 states- selected so that these CSR levels can be maintained and other districts can emulate and learn from their experiences).

Objectives

Objectives are^[12] 1.Prevent gender based sex selective elimination 2.Ensure survival & protection of the girl child 3.Ensure education of the girl child

Strategies

Strategies are^[12]

• Implement a sustained Social Mobilization and Communication Campaign to create equal value for the girl child & promote her education.
• Place the issue of decline in CSR/SRB in public discourse, improvement of which would be an indicator for good governance.
• Focus on Gender Critical Districts and Cities low on CSR for intensive & integrated action.
• Mobilize & Train Panchayati Raj Institutions/Urban local bodies/ Grassroot workers as catalysts for social change, in partnership with local community/women’s/youth groups.
• Ensure service delivery structures/schemes & programmes are sufficiently responsive to issues of gender and children’s rights.
• Enable Inter-sectoral and inter-institutional convergence at District/Block/Grassroot levels.ufguotu]o9]-7808ri=]o0-0776e45strhpoi867edfhj

Support

The Beti Bachao campaign is supported by numerous medical organizations in India, including the Indian Medical Association.^[13]

Effectiveness

The campaign has reported some success in parts of India. When the Prime Minister Narendra Modi were the Chief Minister of Gujarat state, Samast Patidar Samaj of Surat, under the Presidency of Mr. Laljibhai Patel (LT Patel) has planned Maha Laddu Beti Bachao Abhiyan in 2006^[14] and successfully executed it. Surat witnessed a massive gathering of 1200000 people from entire Gujarat. With the presence of 1600 dignitaries of different community chaired on 7 huge daises, witnessing the prasada of Laddu, 1.2 million people took oath that we will never do female foeticide and prevent others doing the same. ^[15] In 2009, it was reported that in Gujarat, rates of female births increased from 802 to 882 for every 1000 male births. Beti Bachao activities were credited with this improvement.^[16]

References