National Girl Child Day (NGCD) is annually observed across India on 24th January to promote awareness about the rights of a girl child and to promote the importance of their education, health, and nutrition.
- The day addresses issues like child marriage, discrimination and violence against girls.
- 24th January 2024 marks the observance of 17th NGCD.
Background:
i.NGCD was established in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD).
ii.The first ever NGCD was observed on 24th January 2008.
NGCW 2024:
i.NGCD is a integral part of National Girl Child Week(NGCW) which was observed from 19 to 24 January 2024.
ii.As part of the observance of NGCW, an awareness programme was organized on Menstrual Hygiene in Samba district of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme.
Event:
i.All States & Union Territories (UTs) in partnership with National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) will conduct a 5-day special campaign and events.
ii.A painting competition on the theme “Mere Viksit Bharat Ka Sapna” will be organised.
iii.This event will be attended by Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, MoWCD and Minister of State (MoS) Munjpara Mahendrabhai, MoWCD.
Efforts of the Indian Government:
The government of India has launched several initiatives to improve the condition of girls. Some of them are
Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme:
i.The MoWCD in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now the Ministry of Education) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare initiated the BBBP Scheme in 2015.
ii.The objectives of this initiative are
- Prevention of gender-biased sex-selective elimination
- Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child
- Ensuring education and participation of the girl child
Pradhan Mantri Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (PMSSY):
i.PMSSY is a small deposit scheme launched in 2015 as part of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign.
ii.The scheme offers 8.2% interest rate on the deposits (as of 4th quarter of the Financial Year 2023-24).
iii.The scheme is aimed at encouraging parents to save for the future education and marriage of their girl children.
About Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD):
Union Minister – Smriti Zubin Irani (Constituency- Amethi, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State(MoS) – Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai (Constituency- Surendranagar, Gujarat)
