The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, a flagship initiative led by the Government of India (GoI) which aims to protect, educate, and empower the girl child in India, has completed 10 years of successful implementation.
- The scheme was launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on January 22, 2015 in Panipat, Haryana.
- Completion of 10 Years of BBBP marks a significant milestone which aligns with India’s vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047 and the global shift from Women’s Development to Women-led Development.
Note: January 24 is observed annually as National Girl Child Day (NGCD) across the country, to raise awareness about the rights of a girl child. Theme for 2025 NGCD: ‘Empowering Girls for a Bright Future’.
About BBBP:
i.It is a centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) with 100% funding by the Central Government in all the districts of the country under Sambal vertical of Mission Shakti.
- Aim: To address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR), prevent gender-biased sex-selective elimination and promote the survival, protection and education of the girl child.
ii.The scheme is now based on multi-sectoral approach, involving health, education, child development, and community awareness.
iii.Financial assistance varies based on the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in districts:
- Rs 40 lakh per year for districts with an SRB less than equal to 918.
- Rs 30 lakh per year for districts with an SRB between919-952.
- Rs 20 lakh for districts with an SRB greater than 952.
iv.Initially, It was a collaborative effort of MoWCD (Ministry of Women and Child Development) with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) and Ministry of Education (MoE);
- Later, MoWCD collaborated with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA), to expand the scope of BBBP.
Integration of BBBP with Mission Shakti:
i.Now, the BBBP is integrated with Mission Shakti, a comprehensive program for women’s safety and empowerment, for implementation during the 15th Finance Commission (FC) period from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
ii.Mission Shakti comprises of two main sub-schemes, which are:
- Sambal (Safety and Security): This sub-scheme of Mission Shakti ensures women’s safety through One Stop Centres (OSCs), Women Helpline (181), and BBBP, now expanded across the country. It also introduces Nari Adalat, offering an alternate grievance redressal mechanism for resolving minor issues like harassment and rights violations.
- Samarthya (Empowerment): This sub-scheme empowers women through Shakti Sadans, relief and rehabilitation homes; Sakhi Niwas which provides safe and secure place for stay for working women in the cities; Palna Creche which provides safe and secure place for children of working women.
- The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) now supports a 2nd child if it is a girl, promoting maternal health. The scheme also provides compensation for loss of wages due to pregnancy and childbirth.
- The SANKALP: HEW (Hub for Empowerment of Women) serves as a single window inter-sectoral convergence mechanism provided for all women to avail the benefits of Central and State Government schemes.
Key Objectives of BBBP:
i.To improve Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) by two points every year.
ii.To improve the percentage of institutional deliveries or sustained at the rate of 95% or above.
iii.To increase 1st Trimester Anti Natal Care (ANC) Registration by 1% annually.
iv.To increase enrolment at secondary education level and skilling of girls or women by 1% annually.
v.To check dropout rate among girls at secondary and higher secondary levels.
vi.To Raise awareness about safe Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).
Key Progress:
i.Improvement in SRB: The national SRB improved from 918 (in 2014-15) to 930 (in 2023-24).
- The maximum increase – of 54 points– was recorded in Rajasthan, followed by Haryana (38 points), Himachal Pradesh (33 points) and Gujarat (29 points).
- Among the states which saw a fall in SRB, Odisha recorded the maximum decline of 23 points, followed by Karnataka (19 points) and Bihar (13 points).
ii.Increase in Girl’s Enrollment in Secondary Education: The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for girls has increased from 75.51% (in 2014-15) to 78% (in 2023-24). This indicates the positive influence of BBBP’s educational interventions.
iii.Increased Institutional Deliveries: BBBP also focused on improving healthcare access for women. Institutional deliveries increased from 61% (in 2014-15) to over 97.3% (by 2023-24).
Union Ministers JP Nadda and Annpurna Devi Jointly Inaugurated the 10th Anniversary Celebration of BBBP
On January 22 2025, Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, MoH&FW and Union Minister Annpurna Devi, MoWCD jointly inaugurated the 10 years anniversary celebration of BBBP at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The GoI has decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of BBBP from January 22, 2025 to March 8, 2025, culminating on International Women’s Day.
Key Points:
i.While addressing the event, Union Health Minister highlighted about various schemes initiated by the GoI for women empowerment and their holistic development like: Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY); Ujjwala Yojana, Swachchta Abhiyan, Startup India,
ii.Following an oath-taking ceremony, a compendium of BBBP practices, Mission Vatsalya portal, Mission Shakti portal, and mobile application (app) of Mission Shakti were also launched at the event.
About Mission Vatsalya:
i.In 2021, MoWCD launched Mission Vatsalya which is a CSS, formerly known as the Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme, since 2009-10.
- The main objective of the mission is to ensure that every child in India has healthy and happy childhood.
About Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD):
Union Minister- Annpurna Devi (Constituency- Kodarma, Jharkhand)
Union Minister of State (MoS)- Savitri Thakur (Constituency- Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, MP)
