Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by the Prime Minister on 22nd January, 2015 at Panipat, Haryana. BBBP addresses the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women empowerment over a life-cycle continuum. It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (transl. Save the girl child, educate the girl child) is a campaign of the Government of India that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls in India. The scheme was launched with an initial funding of ₹100 crore (US$14 million). It mainly targets the clusters in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Bihar and Delhi. 

Facts:

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme: It was launched by the Prime Minister in 2015 at Panipat in Haryana.
• Aim: To bring behavioural change in the society towards birth and rights of a girl child.
• The Scheme has two major components such as mass communication campaign and multi-sectoral action covering all States and UTs.
• The scheme is being implemented by a coordinated effort by the Ministry of WCD, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of HRD.

 

Background

According to census data in India, the child sex ratio (0–6 years) in India was 927 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, which dropped to 918[1] girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. In the Population Census of 2011 it was revealed that the population ratio of India 2011 is 919 females per 1000 of males. The Sex Ratio 2011 shows a downward trend from the census 2001 data.

Speaking on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child in 2014, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had called for the eradication of female foeticide and invited suggestions from the citizens of India via the MyGov.in portal.

The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme was launched on 22 January 2015 by PM Narendra Modi .It aims to address the issue of the declining child sex ratio image (CSR) and is a national initiative jointly run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Education. It initially focused multi-sector action in 100 districts throughout the country where there was a low CSR. On 26 August 2016, Olympics 2016 bronze medallist Sakshi Malik was made brand ambassador for BBBP.

The hashtag #Selfie With Daughter was promoted on social media in June 2015, which started when Sunil Jaglan the sarpanch of the village Bibipur, Jind in Haryana took a selfie with his daughter Nandini and posted on Facebook on 9 June 2015. The hashtag garnered worldwide fame.

 

Objectives of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)

The objectives of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) are as follows:

• To help remove gender based discrimination and elimination
• To protect and girl child
• To provide the girl child with education and enabling her participation

 

Different Strategies undertaken by BBBP

• Focusing largely on the Districts which are Gender Critical to ensure intensive actions are taken accordingly
• Prioritizing cities with low Child Sex Ratio for integrated action
• Forwarding and discussing the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio in public discourse, conferences, debates with an aim of rapid awareness and improvement
• Implementing innovative and intriguing techniques for the flourishment of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao as per the local requirement and sensibility
• Motivating communities to participate and work towards their own development subjecting to the birth and growth of a girl child
• Initiating communication campaigns to promote the development and education of the girl child
• Challenging the existing gender stereotypes and evil social norms against the girl child
• Training the local governing bodies and groups to work as catalysts for social change and improvement

 

Eligibility for the Scheme

In order to be eligible for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme, following conditions are to be fulfilled:

• A family with a girl child below the age of 10 years
• There should be a Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA) in any bank, opened in the name of the girl child
• The Girl child should be an Indian. NRIs are not eligible for this scheme

 

Performance of BBBP Scheme:
 

Sex Ratio at Birth:

• Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) has improved by 16 points from 918 (2014-15) to 934 (2019-20), as per the Health Management Information System (HMIS) data.

• Out of 640 districts covered under BBBP, 422 districts have shown improvement in SRB from 2014-15 to 2018-2019.

 

Notable Examples:
 

Health:

• ANC Registration: Percentage of 1^st Trimester ANC (AnteNatal Care) Registration has shown an improving trend from 61% in 2014-15 to 71% in 2019-20.

• Institutional Deliveries: Percentage of Institutional Deliveries has shown an improving trend from 87% in 2014-15 to 94% in 2019-20.

 

Education : 

• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): GER of girls in the schools at secondary level has improved from 77.45 (2014-15) to 81.32 (2018-19) as per Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) provisional data.

• Toilet for girls: Percentage of schools with functional separate toilets for girls has shown improvement from 92.1% in 2014-15 to 95.1% in 2018-19.

 

Attitudinal Change:

• Mau (Uttar Pradesh) from 694 (2014-15) to 951 (2019-20),

• Karnal (Haryana) from 758 (2014-15) to 898 (2019-20),

• Mahendergarh (Haryana) from 791 (2014-15) to 919 (2019-20), etc.

• he BBBP scheme has been able to bring the focus on important issue of female infanticide, lack of education amongst girls and deprivation of their rights on a life cycle continuum.

• BetiJanmotsav is one of the key programmes celebrated in each district.

 

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme : Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme

Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme is a small saving scheme under the Government of India targeting the parents of any girl children. This scheme focuses on encouraging the parents of the female child for building a fund for their future education and marriage expenses. Also known as Sukanya Samriddhi Account, this scheme was launched as a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign.

The Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme provides an interest rate of 8.4% and tax benefits to every account opened under it for July-September 2019. The Sukanya Samriddhi Account can be opened at any Post office or branch of authorized commercial banks in the country.

 

Target Group of the Scheme

• The scheme mainly targets districts in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Delhi, UP and Uttarakhand. The scheme focuses on the three tiers of the society:

  • Primary: Young couples, pregnant women, young or lactating women.

  • Secondary :  Adolescents (both genders), Youth, family members along with medical practitioners in  nursing homes, private hospitals,  and diagnostic centres to discourage child sex determination before birth.

  • Tertiary:  Frontline workers, officials, female workers, voluntary organizations, mass leaders, media personalities, medical and industrial associations, and the general public as a whole, to spread the message loud and clear.

 

The Organizational Structure of the Scheme

• The organization structure of the scheme is as follows:

  • The whole campaign follows a top-down approach.
  • The success of the campaign is based on the delegation and execution of duties across all levels of power.
  • The Ministry of Women & Child Development promotes registration of first trimester pregnancies in AWCs or the District Anganwadi Centres.
  • It collaborates with the Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare.
  • They have a Program management Unit or Mahila Shakti Kendras under State Resource Centres.
  • Every State department has a State Task Force.
  • At the District Level, there is a District Task Force under the District Collector.
  • At the Block Level, there is a Block Task Force under the Sub-Divisional Magistrate.
  • These interact with the grass root level district workers to carry the campaign message to every family in the concerned district.