Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
FounderGovernment of India
CountryIndia
Prime Minister(s)Narendra Modi
MinistryA joint initiative of MoWCD, MoHFW and MoE
Launched22 January 2015 (9 years ago) (2015-01-22)
StatusActive

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (transl. Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) is a campaign launched by the Government of India.[1] It mainly targets the clusters in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Bihar and Delhi.[2][3]

Background

The child sex ratio in India had been going down at an alarming rate. In the population census of 2011, the child sex ratio in India was 919 females of girls aged 0 to 6 years old.[1] During the 2014 International Day of the Girl Child, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the public to help end sexism against girls in India.[4]

The launch meeting in 2015

The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme was launched on 22 January 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[5][6] 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 on 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 the brand ambassador for BBBP.[7]

The hashtag #SelfieWithDaughter 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.[8] The hashtag garnered worldwide fame.[9]

Campaign ambassadors

A list of current and former ambassadors:

Reasons for this initiative

Further information: Female foeticide in India

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 sex 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 were 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.[15] The dowry system in India is often blamed; the expectation that a large dowry must be provided for daughters for them to marry is frequently cited as a major cause for the problem.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

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.[16]

Support

The Govt of India has formed a National Executive Committee to promote Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) across the country. The committee is organizing several programs to promote "Save Girl Child" and "to Educate Girl Child" since January 2015. Dr. Rajendra Phadke is the National Convener of BBBP Abhiyan.[citation needed]

The Beti Bachao campaign is also supported by the Indian Medical Association.[17]

Movie based on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

In August 2023 a movie Titled ‘Panch Kriti’ - Five Elements based on Swachh Bharat Mission was released in India which featured five stories and is set in Chanderi in Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh, has been largely shot in real locations. It was a women-centric film that touches upon several important themes and topics pertaining to women. It also delves into the importance of social movements taking place in India like ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’ and ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhaao Abhiyaan’.[18]

Effectiveness

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reported that the scheme failed to meet its objectives. As per the CAG data, the sex ratio has deteriorated in many districts of Haryana and Punjab. According to the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, only ₹5 crores of a total of ₹43 crores allotted for the scheme in the financial year 2016-2017 was properly used.[19]

As per the government data, more than 56% of funds were spent on publicity from 2014-15 to 2018-19. Less than 25% of the funds were released to districts and states, and the government did not release more than 19 percent of the funds. Minister of state Ministry of Women and Child Development, Virendra Kumar Khatik, claimed that the sex ratio in 53 out of 161 districts under the scheme declined between 2014–15 and 2016-17. According to experts, the scheme's minimal success is due to the government's inability to release funds efficiently and its disproportionate focus on publicity rather than making initiatives in the health and education sectors.[20]

The Committee finds that out of a total of Rs 446.72 crore released during the period 2016- 2019, a whopping 78.91 percent was spent only on media advocacy.

- Parliamentary committee on the Empowerment of Women, in Lok Sabha, [21]

In 2021, in Lok Sabha, according to the Parliamentary committee on the Empowerment of Women, 78.91% funds for 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' were spent on ads.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ K Sandeep Kumar, Rajeev Mullick (19 May 2017). "UP govt sounds alert over Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme fraud". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  3. ^ Press Trust of India (28 March 2017). "Haryana govt cautions people against frauds under Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao scheme". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. ^ "PM Narendra Modi invites ideas on "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao"". DNA India. 11 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  5. ^ "PM to Launch 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' Programme from Haryana". Newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  6. ^ "PM Narendra Modi to launch 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' program from Haryana". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Sakshi Malik to be brand ambassador of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign in Haryana". 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  8. ^ Mohan, Rohini (30 June 2015). "How PM Modi's Beti Bachao, Selfie Banao campaign became a rage to rewrite gender-skewed script in Haryana". The Economic Times. Economic Times. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  9. ^ Sanyal, Anindita (28 June 2015). "#SelfieWithDaughter Trends Worldwide After PM Modi's Mann kiyg Baat". NDTV. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  10. ^ Arora, Sumit (23 February 2022). "Gurugram sisters chosen as 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' brand ambassadors". adda247. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Vandana Katariya now a brand ambassador of 'Beti Bachao' campaign". Deccan Herald. 10 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  12. ^ Pandit, M Saleem (30 October 2021). "Kashmiri girl Tajamul Islam wins world kickboxing gold - More sports News". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Sakshi Malik will be brand ambassador of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign: Haryana CM". The Indian Express. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Gold medalist Avani Lekhara to be 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' ambassador for Rajasthan - Jaipur News". The Times of India. 1 September 2021. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  15. ^ Selections from the regional press, V. p. 68.
  16. ^ Gupta, Suchandana (3 October 2011). "Skewed sex ratio: MP launches 'Beti Bachao Abhiyan'". Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Indian Medical Association". Journal of the Indian Medical Association. Indian Medical Association. 105 (7–12): 711. 2007.
  18. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ "Why the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme Has Failed on Several Counts". The Wire. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Truth Of 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao': 56% Funds Spent On Publicity". BloombergQuint. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  21. ^ a b Quint, The (11 December 2021). "80% Funds for 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' Spent on Ads, Says Parl Committee". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
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